Alternatives to Prosecution

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General on how many occasions the Crown Prosecution Service has advised the police not to charge but to issue a caution or other out-of-court disposal instead in cases of (a) rape, (b) sexual offences other than rape, (c) domestic violence, (d) grievous bodily harm and (e) street robbery in each of the last seven years.

Oliver Heald: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) records the number of cases referred to for pre-charge advice and where the final decision was to either, issue a simple caution, conditional caution, reprimand, final warning or take the offence into consideration.
	The figures in the tables show the decisions made at the pre-charge stage where the case was one flagged as containing a Rape or Domestic Violence allegation. The data does not capture whether the decision to issue a caution or other out of court disposal was related to the rape or domestic violence allegation or other criminality evident on the file following a decision that there should be no further action in respect of the substantive offence. The case would remain flagged even after such a decision.
	The CPS Case Management System is unable to extract pre-charge data for specific offence categories including sexual offences (with the exception of rape), grievous bodily harm and street robbery.
	
		
			 Pre-charge decisions—domestic violence flagged 
			  2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 C—Simple Caution 1,966 2,149 1,973 2,246 1,973 1,574 1,186 
			 D—Conditional Caution 42 116 221 170 120 88 154 
			 D5—CC Non-Compliance—Continue with Variation 0 0 3 1 1 2 3 
			 E—Reprimand 45 36 36 29 37 36 18 
			 F—Final Warning 78 80 94 107 82 61 57 
			 G—Taken into consideration 17 13 2 3 6 4 5 
			 Total Pre-Charge Decision 66,639 74,065 80,423 91,184 101,242 95,117 88,110 
		
	
	
		
			 Pre-charge decisions—rape flagged 
			  2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 C—Simple Caution 39 18 29 23 31 18 16 
			 D—Conditional Caution 1 0 0 0 4 0 0 
			 E—Reprimand 6 0 4 7 0 3 0 
			 F—Final Warning 22 17 22 23 32 22 18 
			 G—Taken into consideration 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Total Pre-Charge Decision 6,590 5,722 6,597 7,683 8,130 6,822 5,404

Copyright: Prosecutions

Grahame Morris: To ask the Attorney-General how many successful prosecutions have been brought against individuals who have stripped copyright metadata and other information which identifies a copyright holder of a piece of work in the last (a) 12 months and (b) five years.

Dominic Grieve: The records held by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) identify the number of offences in which a prosecution commenced and reached a first hearing in magistrates courts, rather than the number of cases or defendants prosecuted. A single defendant may be prosecuted for multiple offences and it is not possible to disaggregate figures to show separately the volume and outcome of proceedings for each individual offence prosecuted. Copyright offences are also prosecuted by local authorities and by private prosecutors and the CPS does not hold any data in relation to those prosecutions.
	The stripping of copyright metadata, referred to as removing or altering electronic rights management information, in the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 will be subject to criminal prosecution where the activity is associated with making, dealing, importing or possessing infringing articles contrary to section 107 Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. Removing or altering electronic rights management information may give rise to civil liability against a copyright owner.
	The following table shows, in each of the last five years, the number of offences prosecuted by the CPS for offences of copyright infringement contrary to section 107 Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
	
		
			   Number 
			 Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 (107) 2008-09 621 
			  2009-10 405 
			  2010-11 385 
			  2011-12 244 
			  2012-13 97 
		
	
	To establish if any of these offences related to prosecutions where the stripping of copyright metadata or other information identifying a copyright holder was a feature and, those in which a conviction was obtained would incur disproportionate cost.
	In addition, prosecutions can be brought under section 296ZB of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 for offences of providing, importing or manufacturing devices or services designed to circumvent technological copyright protection measures. The number of these offences charged in the last five years is as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 (296ZB) 2008-09 0 
			  2009-10 0 
			  2010-11 0 
			  2011-12 1 
			  2012-13 25

Prosecutions

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General on how many occasions in each category of offences the Crown Prosecution Service decided not to charge on grounds that the case did not meet the evidential test of the Crown Prosecutors' Code in each of the last three years.

Oliver Heald: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) record prosecution cases according to their principal offence category (POC). The POC indicates the most serious offence with which the defendant is charged at the time of finalisation of proceedings. As the POC category is not applied until the finalisation of the prosecution case, pre-charge decisions (PCDs) are not categorised. It is not possible to identify the offence categories of PCD without a manual exercise to review individual files which would attract a disproportionate cost.
	The number of PCDs where the CPS decided not to charge on grounds that the case did not meet the evidential test of the Code for Crown Prosecutors are as follows:
	
		
			  2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Total number of PCDs 468,656 369,564 309,315 
		
	
	
		
			 Number of PCDs not charged on evidential grounds 114,558 85,030 70,844

Witnesses

Ann Coffey: To ask the Attorney-General how many children under (a) 12 years old, (b) 15 years old and (c) 17 years old appeared as witnesses in Crown court trials in the last three years.

Oliver Heald: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not maintain data which shows the number of children who appeared as witnesses in Crown court trials. This information could only be obtained by examining all of the files prosecuted by the CPS in the Crown court, which would incur disproportionate costs.

Witnesses

Ann Coffey: To ask the Attorney-General how many children under (a) 12-years-old, (b) 15-years-old and (c) 17-years-old have appeared as witnesses in trials relating to sexual violence and abuse in the last three years.

Oliver Heald: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not maintain data which show the number of children who appeared as witnesses in trials relating to sexual violence and abuse. This information could be obtained only by examining all of the sexual offences files prosecuted by the CPS, which would incur disproportionate costs.

Out of Area Treatment

Jesse Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what negotiations he has had with the Welsh Government regarding the 2013 Protocol for Cross-Border Healthcare Services.

Stephen Crabb: The current Protocol for Cross-Border Healthcare Services was agreed jointly between NHS England and the Welsh Government in April 2013. Discussions will continue with the Welsh Government to ensure smooth implementation of this protocol and the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales, my noble Friend Baroness Randerson, recently met with the Welsh Government Minister for Health and Social Care, Mark Drakeford AM, to discuss such matters.

G8: County Fermanagh

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment she has made of planned security arrangements for the forthcoming G8 summit in Northern Ireland; and if she will make a statement.

Theresa Villiers: I have regular meetings to discuss G8 summit security arrangements with PSNI colleagues including the Chief Constable. Arrangements are well developed and PSNI have a robust plan in place to deal with the security challenges which come with hosting the G8 summit. Northern Ireland Office officials will continue to work closely with all partners on G8 security issues in the lead up to the summit.

G8: County Fermanagh

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions she has had with police forces in Great Britain about security for the G8 Summit in Fermanagh in June 2013.

Theresa Villiers: I have met a range of organisations to discuss the G8 Summit including officials from the Association of Chief Police Officers who represent police forces in Great Britain. Northern Ireland Office officials will continue to work closely with all partners on G8 security issues in the lead up to the summit.

G8: County Fermanagh

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions she has had with the Northern Ireland Executive about the costs of hosting the G8 Summit in Fermanagh in June 2013.

Theresa Villiers: I have discussed the G8 Summit with Ministers from across Government including those in the Northern Ireland Executive. Officials in the Northern Ireland Office have been working closely with colleagues in the NI Executive on a range of issues including the costs relating to the Summit.

Travel

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what her Department's budget for ministerial travel for (a) the Government Car Service, (b) private hire vehicles, (c) taxis, (d) rail, (e) aviation and (f) other is for (i) 2013-14, (ii) 2014-15 and (iii) 2015-16.

Theresa Villiers: My Department does not set an annual budget for ministerial travel. Travel is budgeted for when required in line with the business needs of the Department and is provided in the most cost effective way available. On coming to office this Government ended the practice of previous Administrations, including the last Labour Government, of chartering private aircraft for routine ministerial travel between London and Belfast. This has resulted in significant savings for the taxpayer.

Travel

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much her Department spent on ministerial travel by (a) Government Car Service, (b) private hire vehicles, (c) taxis, (d) rail, (e) aviation and (f) other means in each year of the current parliament.

Theresa Villiers: My Department has a contract with the Government Car Service for the supply of a departmental car for use across the organisation. Records of ministerial use of the car are not kept.
	Private hire vehicles:
	Nil spend
	
		
			 Taxi services 
			  Total cost (£) 
			 2010-11 285 
			 2011-12 415 
			 2012-13 240 
			 2013-14(1) 0 
		
	
	
		
			 Rail costs 
			  Total cost (£) 
			 2010-11 3,650 
			 2011-12 3,467 
			 2012-13 709 
			 2013-14(1) 795 
		
	
	
		
			 Aviation costs 
			  Total cost (£) 
			 2010-11 73,255 
			 2011-12 105,506 
			 2012-13 49,119 
			 2013-14(1) 5,375 
			 (1) Costs for 2013-14 are from 1 April 2013 to date. 
		
	
	On coming to office this Government ended the practice of previous Administrations, including the last Labour Government, of chartering private aircraft for routine ministerial travel between London and Belfast. This has resulted in significant savings of taxpayers' money.

Air Pollution

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what specific steps the Government is taking to reduce air pollution in areas with high-pollution readings.

Richard Benyon: The UK is compliant with most EU air quality standards. However, meeting the limits for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is challenging, especially in towns and cities. The Government has submitted air quality plans to the European Commission setting out the action being taken at national and local levels to reduce nitrogen dioxide pollution.
	Specific steps to reduce air pollution include: targeted action to accelerate the introduction of cleaner vehicles, including reduced pollution certificates for heavy duty vehicles; a Green Bus fund of nearly £100 million; and investment of over £1 billion in measures to support local sustainable transport and incentives for ultra-low emission electric and hybrid vehicles. Local authorities have responsibility for local air quality management; this now includes responsibility for public health in their areas. The Government has provided funding of over £8 million to support local measures to improve air quality since 2010. In London, the Mayor is responsible for working towards national air quality objectives and DEFRA works with him and London boroughs to improve air quality.

Animal Welfare: EU Countries

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the animal welfare standards in other EU member states in connection with the rearing of (a) poultry, (b) beef, (c) pig and (d) sheep; and if he will make a statement.

David Heath: Over recent years, we have had regular contact with the EU Commission and member states, both at an official level and ministerial level, regarding compliance, implementation and interpretation of EU welfare standards for laying hens, meat, chickens and pigs. These discussions are on-going.
	Assessment of animal welfare standards across the EU is a matter for the European Commission. The Commission enforces EU law and is fully empowered to take action against member states which fail to deliver on their animal welfare obligations.
	There is no specific EU welfare legislation for beef cattle and for sheep beyond the general provisions for all farmed animal species contained in Council Directive 98/58/EC.

Bees: Pesticides

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what additional work he has recently commissioned into the effects of the neonicotinoids pesticides (a) clothianidin, (b) imidacloprid and (c) thiametoxam on honeybees.

David Heath: We have the following projects under way in this area:
	PS2370 Interpretation of pesticide residues in honeybees
	This aims to assess the pesticide residue levels in apparently healthy UK honeybee colonies in urban and rural environments to determine if there is any clear correlation between the presence of pesticides and the disease status in those colonies.
	PS2376 Evaluation of procedures to improve estimates of exposure of pollinators to neonicotinoid insecticides
	This aims to access the feasibility of determining the exposure of pollinators by measuring the levels of neonicotinoids in various media. This includes pollen and nectar from oilseed rape, pollen and nectar fed to their young by pollinators such as honey, bumble and solitary bees and measuring levels in other pollinators like hoverflies.
	Further information about these and previous projects in this area can be found online at:
	http://randd.defra.gov.uk/
	The Insect Pollinators Initiative, which is part-funded by Government, is also undertaking a project to look at neonicotinoids: ‘An investigation into the synergistic impact of sub-lethal exposure to industrial chemicals on the learning capacity and performance of bees’. This work is examining whether chronic exposure to chemicals used to control mites, combined with exposure to agricultural pesticides, could affect foraging, navigation and communication in bees.
	We are currently considering what further work is needed in this area, and any changes needed to existing work in the light of impending EU restrictions.

Biofuels

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with EU counterparts on the European Commission's proposal to cap the amount of biofuels produced from food crops to five per cent; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Baker: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Transport, and refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for East Lothian (Fiona O'Donnell) today, Monday 3 June (UIN 157576).

Bovine Tuberculosis

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how he plans to monitor (a) uptake of and (b) compliance with proposals for the voluntary Risk-Based Trading Scheme.

David Heath: We are considering recommendations for voluntary risk-based trading measures made by the industry-led Risk-Based Trading Group (RBTG) in England and will work with the livestock industry on the next steps. Once new measures are in place it will be important to monitor their uptake and effectiveness.

Conditions of Employment

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many people in his Department are employed on zero hours contracts.

Richard Benyon: Core DEFRA does not employ any staff on zero-hour contracts.

Countryside Stewardship Scheme

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how many Countryside Stewardship Scheme agreements providing permissive public access have been put in place since the scheme's inception; and how many hectares of land were included in each such agreement;
	(2)  what the total level of funding has been for agreements under the Countryside Stewardship Scheme providing permissive public access since the scheme's inception.

Richard Benyon: The Countryside Stewardship Scheme (CSS) started in 1991 and closed to new applications in 2004. Agreements lasted for 10 years and the last of these are due to expire in September 2014. Data is not held centrally for agreements that have expired, so it is not possible to provide the total amount of permissive access since 1991. The closest data available is for agreements providing permissive access in 2005.
	In 2005 there were 710 CSS agreements with permissive access. The total annual permissive access payments under these agreements is estimated at £11,165,230 over the 10 year period of the agreements(1). 241 of these agreements are still running in 2013. This figure does not include one-off capital payments such as gates, stiles and benches.
	
		
			 CSS access option Number of live agreements with access option Total hectares/length 
			 Open access 183 1,747 hectares 
			 Permissive footpaths 464 599,115 metres 
			 Permissive bridleways 179 513,502 metres 
			 Paths for disabled 23 43,081 metres 
		
	
	Individual agreements can have more than one permissive access option. The total number of live agreements with access options will therefore add up to more than 710.
	(1) Estimate may not take account of changes resulting from later payment reviews, which cannot easily be calculated from historical data.

Environmental Stewardship Scheme

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how much funding for agreements providing permissive public access has been provided under the Environmental Stewardship Scheme since the scheme's inception;
	(2)  how many Environmental Stewardship Scheme agreements which provided public access have been put in place since the start of the scheme; and how many hectares of land have been included in each such agreement.

Richard Benyon: Environmental Stewardship started in 2005. From 2006, the Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) element of the scheme offered annual payments for permissive access. These were withdrawn for new HLS agreements from 1 December 2010, as part of spending review 2010 decisions, although payments continue for agreements set up before this date until their expiry. At present there are 1,292 HLS permissive access agreements.
	The total cost of annual payments under these agreements is estimated at £22,561,632, over the ten year period of the agreements(1). This does not include payments for one-off capital items such as gates, stiles and benches.
	Only the “open access” option is measured and paid in hectares; all others are linear and paid in metres.
	
		
			 HLS access option Number of live agreements with access option Total hectares/length 
			 Open access 290 4,067 hectares 
			 Permissive paths 886 1,433,123 metres 
			 Permissive bridleways 334 1,220,163 metres 
			 Linear access for people with reduced mobility 52 52,827 metres 
			 Upgrading access for cycles/horses 20 31,352 metres 
			 Upgrading access for people with reduced mobility 8 3,756 metres 
		
	
	Individual HLS agreements can have more than one permissive access option. The total number of live agreements with access options will therefore add up to more than 1,292.
	(1 )Estimate will change over time as agreements are amended, terminated early etc.

Farmers: Bureaucracy

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to reduce paperwork and bureaucracy for farmers.

David Heath: holding answer 21 May 2013
	As part of our response to the Farming Regulation Task Force report, we are taking steps to reduce unnecessary paperwork burdens and bureaucracy on farmers. These steps include: making environmental guidance shorter, clearer and easier to find and follow; reviewing what environmental and farming information is required from businesses, and; piloting a simplified approach to how businesses submit that information as part of the Smarter Guidance and Data reforms launched on 16 May 2013.
	We have also taken steps to reduce the burden of on-farm inspections for those farmers who consistently demonstrate high standards by driving forward implementation of earned recognition. Earned recognition was introduced into Dairy Hygiene inspections in 2011 reducing them by over 8,000 per year. We will publish a plan in summer 2013 setting out further opportunities for implementing earned recognition.
	We are also supporting the National Farmers Union (NFU) and local authorities in the roll out of Regional Inspection Forums. These forums are enabling farm inspectors to share more information with each other before visiting a farm helping to eliminate unnecessary duplicated inspections.

Flood Control

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to the answer of 26 March 2013, Official Report, columns 1036-40W, on flood control, if he will publish by scheme a breakdown of relevant funding from (a) public sources including his Department and local authorities and (b) private sources.

Richard Benyon: The table provided in my answer of 26 March 2013, Official Report, columns 1036-40W, details flood and coastal risk management schemes that are moving into construction in 2013-14. Of the total external contribution spend across these projects, the public contributions amount to approximately £53 million. Private contributions amount to approximately £13 million.
	Unless specific permission is obtained from the organisations in question, the Government does not release the names of organisations or the details of specific contributions to individual flood and coastal erosion risk management schemes. In some cases, the Government would be in breach of confidentiality clauses if such information was disclosed.
	Prior to partnership funding, income for schemes was not aggregated and therefore a breakdown of schemes is not held centrally.

Flood Control: North Yorkshire

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to the answer of 22 April 2013, Official Report, column 606W, on flood control, if he will publish details of the contributions to the £9.7 million scheme at Skipton, North Yorkshire by public sector bodies.

Richard Benyon: The Skipton Flood Alleviation Scheme will be funded by both the public and private sectors. Around £6 million will be funded from Flood Defence grant in aid, with a further £1.7 million from the additional flood alleviation funding announced as part of the 2012 autumn statement.
	The Environment Agency is at an advanced stage in its negotiations with other parties for additional funds.
	Unless specific permission is obtained from the organisations in question, the Government does not release the names of organisations that contribute to flood and coastal erosion risk management schemes. In some cases the Government would be in breach of confidentiality clauses if such information was disclosed.

Floods: Insurance

Iain McKenzie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to ensure that areas of the country do not become uninsurable because of persistent flooding both in terms of flood prevention and insurance company policies.

Richard Benyon: The Government’s primary role is flood risk management. Action taken by communities, individuals, Government and businesses to reduce flood risk will continue to be the best way of keeping insurance terms affordable in to the future. We are now on course to spend £2.3 billion on reducing the risk from flooding and coastal erosion in England over the four-year period to 2015. We expect to better protect 165,000 households by 2015, exceeding our current goal by 20,000. Around 64,000 homes will be better protected by the 93 new flood defence schemes starting construction this year.
	Members of the Association of British Insurers (ABI) will continue to abide by the Statement of Principles for a further month until 31 July to allow more time to reach agreement and to act in good faith towards their customers when setting the terms of policies. We have made significant progress in discussions with the ABI on how its Flood Re proposal could be made to work. This is a complex issue and no deal has been reached, but we aim to conclude negotiations as soon as possible.
	While flood risk management is a devolved issue, financial services and fiscal policy are reserved matters for the UK Government. No final decisions have been taken but discussions about flood insurance continue with the devolved Administrations.

Food

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which (a) officials and (b) Ministers in his Department comprise the team conducting the strategic review into the food chain being coordinated by his Department and the Department of Health.

Richard Benyon: holding answer 20 May 2013
	The independent review of the horsemeat fraud will be supported by a small secretariat of officials from DEFRA and Department of Health. The secretariat will be headed by a member of the senior civil service (PB-1) and will be supported by a team leader (grade 7), policy adviser (higher executive officer) and have administrative support (0.5 executive officer). Other officials may contribute to the secretariat, for example to provide specialist expertise, over the course of the review if required. The review will report to the Secretaries of State for Health and Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Food: Origin Marking

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department has spent on helping UK food producers obtain EU protected food status for each of the last three years.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA officials provide information, advice and guidance to UK producer groups applying, or considering applying, for recognition of their products under the EU protected food names scheme. While no specific funding is made available to producer groups in connection with the application and registration process, nor does DEFRA charge them any fee for the work it carries out.

Horse Meat

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what information the Food Standards Agency has received from food safety authorities in France and elsewhere in Europe in respect of samples of meat seized from the company Spanghero de Castelnaudray on 19 February 2013; and what investigations the Food Standards Agency has undertaken in respect of the mechanically removed meat in the shipment.

Anna Soubry: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department of Health.
	The Food Standards Agency (FSA) was first alerted on 22 February 2013 to the French authorities' initial findings, which suggested that a United Kingdom establishment had sent consignments of a lamb product to the French company, Spanghero de Castelnaudray, in breach of European Union food law. The FSA immediately instigated an investigation which is ongoing. The matter was formally notified to the UK by France via the EU Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) on 27 February 2013. The FSA issued formal UK responses to the RASFF notification on 15 March 2013 and 24 April 2013. The FSA has received no information from other EU member states in this regard.

Horse Passports

Iain McKenzie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Government is taking to improve the horse passport system and bring it into line with the cattle passport system.

David Heath: The Government remains committed to exploring ways to improve the horse passport system within the existing framework of European legislation, and we support the European Commission proposals for each member state to have a single passport issuing organisation and central equine database. We continue to work with the equine sector and existing passport issuing organisations on improvements that can be made to the quality of passports before the new arrangements are in place. The test and hold system for horses at abattoirs ensures that horsemeat that contains bute cannot enter the food chain.

Meat

Iain McKenzie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what new measures the Government is going to take to ensure that the transfer of information between vets and the ability to trace the origin of meat across borders will improve.

David Heath: All consignments of products of animal origin from third countries must enter the EU through a Border Inspection Post (BIP) where checks are carried out to ensure that import conditions have been met. The arrival of consignments must be notified to the BIP using the TRAde Control and Expert System (TRACES). This provides on-line information on import consignments of products of animal origin. It facilitates the exchange of information between competent authorities of animal and public health inspections and allows veterinary authorities to react rapidly to possible health emergencies.
	Meat and other products of animal origin are traded freely within the EU and the responsibility for animal and public health and food hygiene lies with the exporting member state. There are no border controls for trade between member states and EU rules permit non-discriminatory checks for compliance purposes only by the official veterinarian or local authority responsible for the establishment receiving the products.

Moths

Glyn Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the reduction in the number of moths in the environment and the potential harm this may cause to the biophysical environment that relies on pollinators;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of possible causes of the decline in the number of moths in the UK.

Richard Benyon: Data from the “Rothamsted light traps” shows that there has been a change in the abundance of moths in Great Britain over the last 40 years. A greater number of species show significant declines than show significant increases.
	We do not fully understand the reasons for this change but we do know that semi-natural habitat loss and degradation is a threat to many species. We have supported research to understand how to manage habitats for moths better, for example in key woodland habitats. In addition, Natural England has initiated a review of the status of groups of invertebrates in England, including moths, to identify those at greatest threat. It is expected that this work will take three years to complete.

Phenylbutazone

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to the answer of 25 March 2013, Official Report, columns 897-8W, on phenylbutazone, what the outcome was of the 12 investigations into the validity of horse passports from horse carcasses which tested positive for phenylbutazone.

David Heath: The investigations have shown that all horse passports submitted with these animals for slaughter were issued by authorised passport issuing organisations, and there was no evidence to question the validity of the information contained within the passports.
	Summaries of the outcomes of follow-up inspections into non-compliant results under the UK's statutory residues surveillance programme, operated under Council Directive 96/23/EC, are published in papers considered by the independent Veterinary Residues Committee (VRC). These can be seen at:
	http://www.vmd.defra.gov.uk/vrc/reports/surveillance.html
	These are available in the Library of the House, as mentioned in the answer I gave on 18 March 2013, Official Report, column 530W.
	Summaries of the results of. follow-up inspections of non-compliant results from the Food Standards Agency's 100% testing programme, introduced from 30 January 2013, will also be considered by the VRC and published. Information from these inspections, as well as previous ones, will provide more evidence on the most common reasons for these horses being presented for human consumption. This will help to target information campaigns to owners and their veterinarians.

Scotland

David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will list the legislation his Department has sponsored which has devolved powers to the Scottish Parliament and powers within such legislation since 1998.

David Mundell: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Scotland Office.
	Scotland Office is responsible for maintaining and strengthening the devolution settlement; together with lead policy Departments we have delivered a programme of Scotland Act orders that have provided additional powers to the Scottish Parliament, as well as delivering the Scotland Act 2012 that enhanced the devolution settlement and provided the largest transfer of financial responsibility since 1999.
	Further devolution to the Scottish Parliament is principally achieved by way of amendments to schedules 4 and 5 of the Act. Since 1998 the following changes to those schedules have been made. These are presented in summary form.
	Amendments to schedule 4 of the Scotland Act 1998
	Power to modify the Scotland Act 1998 regarding financial assistance for opposition parties in the Scottish Parliament.
	Powers to modify certain provisions of the Scotland Act 1998 requiring any sum to be payable out of the Scottish Consolidated Fund.
	Power to provide that proceedings brought in a court or tribunal against a member of the Scottish Government under the Scotland Act 1998 on human rights grounds have to be brought before the end of a limitation period (since repealed by Scotland Act 2012).
	Amendments to schedule 5 of the Scotland Act 1998
	Political parties
	The making of payments to any political party for the purpose of assisting members of the Parliament to perform their parliamentary duties.
	Referendum
	A power to allow the Scottish Parliament to conduct a referendum on the independence of Scotland from the rest of the United Kingdom, subject to certain conditions.
	Financial and economic matters
	Powers to set a rate of income tax to be paid by Scottish taxpayers, and taxes in relation to land transactions and landfill.
	Home affairs
	The interception of any communication made to or by a person detained at a place of detention.
	The regulation of air weapons.
	Trade and industry
	Powers in relation to business associations which are social landlords, including in relation to winding up proceedings and procedures giving protection from creditors.
	Powers to provide financial assistance for the provision of services (other than postal services and services relating to money or postal orders) to be provided from public post offices.
	Transport
	Powers to impose requirements on Scottish public authorities about the preparation and submission of strategies relating to the provision of rail services.
	Powers to transfer functions of passenger transport executives or passenger transport authorities relating to rail services, and the allocation of such functions among relevant authorities.
	The promotion and construction of railways which start, end and remain in Scotland.
	Power to impose requirements on Scottish public authorities about the preparation and submission of strategies relating to the provision of air services.
	Social security
	Powers to provide occasional financial or other assistance to or in respect of individuals for the purposes of meeting an immediate short-term need, arising out of exceptional services, to avoid risk to the individual’s well-being, or enabling qualifying individuals to establish or maintain a settled home.
	Employment
	Fire safety on construction sites and on certain premises, including those concerned in the manufacture or storage of chemicals, explosives or flammable materials.
	Amendment to part 1 of the Scotland Act 1998
	Elections
	Power to make provision as to the conduct of elections for membership of the Scottish Parliament, and the questioning of such an election and the consequences of irregularities. Made by the Scotland Act 2012 and yet to be brought into force.

Lobbying

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the regulatory impact of a statutory register of lobbyists on (a) multi-client agencies and (b) other businesses.

Chloe Smith: The Government published an impact assessment alongside its consultation on a statutory register of lobbyists. This can be found at:
	http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukia/2012/40/pdfs/ukia_20120040.pdf

BBC

Gisela Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will hold discussions with the BBC Trust to ensure that the implementation of Delivering Quality First is in line with the BBC Charter requiring representation of (a) the regions and (b) the West Midlands and Birmingham.

Edward Vaizey: This is a matter for the BBC Trust. Within the framework of the Charter and Agreement, the BBC is editorially and operationally independent of Government and there is no provision for the Government to intervene in the BBC's day-to-day activities.
	The Midlands remains an important part of the BBC production landscape with a range of BBC output produced in Birmingham, including The Archers, Doctors and Father Brown, and as well as broadcasting a number of local radio stations to different parts of the Midlands. In addition the headquarters for the BBC's 39 local radio stations, 42 online sites and England's 12 television regions is based in Birmingham alongside BBC England's News and Sport online team. Birmingham is also the base for the BBC's regional news and current affairs programming for the Midlands, as well as being a key regional centre for the Asian Network.

Broadband

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps her Department is taking to achieve EU broadband targets.

Edward Vaizey: holding answer 13 May 2013
	Central and local Government is investing £1.2 billion in the Government's broadband programme, which will see a transformation of broadband services in the UK by 2015, contributing significantly to meeting the EU 2020 targets. A combination of commercial and public deployments will see much greater availability of superfast broadband; 100,000 more premises each week are gaining availability; and around 50,000 connections to superfast broadband are being taken up each week.

Broadband

Stephen Mosley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will publish a timeline by which all mobile network operators must sign up to the Broadband Stakeholder Group Open Internet Code of Practice.

Edward Vaizey: The Broadband Stakeholder Group’s Open Internet Code of Practice is a voluntary code, which has been signed up to by the majority of internet service providers and mobile network operators. As a voluntary code, Government will not be publishing a timeline by which operators must sign up.
	However, Government continues to urge all operators to become signatories to the code.

Broadband: Rural Areas

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether the independent assurance review of BDUK rural broadband contracts conducted by Grant Thorton identified differences in (a) charges, (b) subsidy and (c) other matters in the offers made by BT to the local authorities concerned.

Edward Vaizey: holding answer 13 May 2013
	The Independent assurance review is still in progress and has not yet reported its findings.

Broadband: Rural Areas

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what progress she has made on rolling out rural broadband (a) through hard wired connections and (b) via satellite; and if she will make a statement.

Edward Vaizey: 22 (50%) of the BDUK local broadband projects have now signed contacts, which represents two-thirds of the BDUK allocated funding. The four most recently signed contracts were: Northumberland (17 April), Durham (26 April), Cheshire Councils (29 April) and West Sussex (15 May), with a combined BDUK funding allocation of £27.2 million. The first Cabinet went live in North Yorkshire in December 2012 and more have followed in Wales, Lancashire and Surrey. The number of additional premises passed supported by BDUK funding is now over 50,000. To date there have not been any additional satellite connections supported by BDUK funding, although a Satellite service is already available to virtually everyone in the UK from commercial suppliers.

Culture, Practices and Ethics of the Press Inquiry

Rob Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the cost to the public purse was of fees paid to Ms Carine Patry-Hoskins in her capacity as junior counsel to the Leveson inquiry on the Culture, Practice and Ethics of the Press.

Edward Vaizey: holding answer 20 May 2013
	Carine Patry Hoskins acted as counsel to the Leveson inquiry from July 2011 until November 2012. Her total fees for this period were £218,606.

Internet

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what progress she has made on ensuring that internet operators and internet service providers sign-up to the Government’s Open Internet Code of Practice; and what consequences there are for those who do not do this.

Edward Vaizey: Good progress has been made, with the majority of internet service providers and mobile network operators signed up to the Open Internet Code of Practice developed by the Broadband Stakeholder Group. Government believes that greater consumer awareness will drive further signatories, and are pleased that all the major operators are signed up to the Broadband Stakeholder Group’s Traffic Management Transparency Code of Practice.

Royal Shakespeare Company

Jonathan Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the economic contribution of the Royal Shakespeare Company;
	(2)  what assessment she has made of the economic contribution of the Royal Opera House;
	(3)  what assessment she has made of the economic value to the UK of British orchestras.

Edward Vaizey: The economic contribution of the arts is measured in a number of ways. The Arts Council England recently published an independent report by the Centre for Economics and Business Research that showed arts and culture provided £5.9 billion of Gross Value Added in 2011. The UK's artistic and cultural sectors, combined with many world-class arts organisations remain a vital contributor to wealth generation, tourism and increasing the UK's reputation domestically and internationally for trade and visitors and Government continues to examine the value that this sector makes.

Portas Pilots

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of progress made by the Portas pilots and their effect on high streets.

Mark Prisk: This Government believes our high streets need to adapt to changing consumer habits, especially online.
	The Portas pilots are testbeds for developing new ideas and are part of a comprehensive approach designed to strengthen local leadership, reform planning and parking policies, help small shops and boost local markets.

Disabled Facilities Grants

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many Disabled Facilities Grant applications per household were approved in each local authority in England in the last three years for which figures are available.

Mark Prisk: The Department for Communities and Local Government funds the Disabled Facilities Grant which is administered by local authorities in England and provides adaptations to the homes of disabled people to help them to live as independently as possible in their own home.
	The Department secured £725 million for the grant in the 2010 spending review for the period 2011-12 to 2014-15 and over the last two years the Government has invested a further £60 million in the Disabled Facilities Grant, bringing the total grant in 2011-12 to £200 million and in 2012-13 to £220 million.
	The Department for Communities and Local Government does not collect information on the number of applications approved annually by each local authority, but does collect information on the number of grant adaptations completed each year by local authorities via returns on the Logasnet system. Data for 2009-10 to 2011-12 have been placed in the Library of the House. Data for 2012-13 will not be available until local authorities complete their annual returns in July 2013.

Employment Agencies

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  which agencies supply staff working in his Department;
	(2)  if he will ask all agencies supplying staff to his Department whether such staff are paid at least the living wage.

Brandon Lewis: The agencies that currently supply staff to the Department are Capita Resourcing Ltd, Michael Page Finance, Square One Resources, SBS (UK), Reed Specialist Recruitment, Premier London Ltd, Manpower UK Ltd and Certes Computing Ltd. All our agency staff for consultancy and contingent labour earn above the London living wage of £8.55 per hour and the UK living wage for outside London of £7.45 per hour.
	Use of such staff for short-term or specialist work can be better value for money than hiring staff on permanent contracts. Not withstanding, I refer the right hon. Member to my answer of 24 April 2013, Official Report, column 982W, on how we have made significant reductions to spending on consultancy costs and contingent labour.

Non-domestic Rates

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  when he expects to publish the regulations relating to property bids as defined in the Business Rates Supplements Act 2009; and what the reasons are for the time taken to publish the regulations;
	(2)  whether it remains his policy to introduce property bids as defined in the Business Rates Supplements Act 2009.

Brandon Lewis: Business Improvement Districts are an important tool for growth and this is already recognised by landlords who are voluntarily contributing to individual projects. In our response to the Portas Review we committed to explore with industry experts how a formal property owner Business Improvement District scheme may be delivered within the provisions of the Business Rate Supplement Act 2009. Further to that work, we are aiming to issue a consultation paper shortly on how a scheme may work. Any legislation implementing a formal property owner Business Improvement District scheme will be subject to that consultation.

Reservoirs: West Yorkshire

Jason McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the Butterley Reservoir Spillway, Marsden will remain a grade II listed building when Yorkshire Water's proposed spillway works goes ahead.

Nicholas Boles: I cannot comment on the specific case as it may come before the Secretary of State for a decision at a later date. However, I can respond in general terms.
	Any works to a listed building which will affect its special architectural or historic interest will require listed building consent. In determining such applications local planning authorities are required to take account of national planning policy. This states that substantial harm to or total loss of a grade II listed building should be exceptional.
	A building will remain listed at the commencement of any works, unless, after full assessment, it is decided by the Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sport that it has lost its special interest.

Scotland

David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what legislation his Department has sponsored which has devolved powers to the Scottish Parliament and powers within such legislation since 1998.

David Mundell: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Scotland Office.
	Scotland Office is responsible for maintaining and strengthening the devolution settlement; together with lead policy Departments we have delivered a programme of Scotland Act orders that have provided additional powers to the Scottish Parliament, as well as delivering the Scotland Act 2012 that enhanced the devolution settlement and provided the largest transfer of financial responsibility since 1999.
	Further devolution to the Scottish Parliament is principally achieved by way of amendments to schedules 4 and 5 of the Act. Since 1998 the following changes to those schedules have been made. These are presented in summary form.
	Amendments to schedule 4 of the Scotland Act 1998
	Power to modify the Scotland Act 1998 regarding financial assistance for opposition parties in the Scottish Parliament.
	Powers to modify certain provisions of the Scotland Act 1998 requiring any sum to be payable out of the Scottish Consolidated Fund.
	Power to provide that proceedings brought in a court or tribunal against a member of the Scottish Government under the Scotland Act 1998 on human rights grounds have to be brought before the end of a limitation period (since repealed by Scotland Act 2012).
	Amendments to schedule 5 of the Scotland Act 1998
	Political parties
	The making of payments to any political party for the purpose of assisting members of the Parliament to perform their parliamentary duties.
	Referendum
	A power to allow the Scottish Parliament to conduct a referendum on the independence of Scotland from the rest of the United Kingdom, subject to certain conditions.
	Financial and economic matters
	Powers to set a rate of income tax to be paid by Scottish taxpayers, and taxes in relation to land transactions and landfill.
	Home affairs
	The interception of any communication made to or by a person detained at a place of detention.
	The regulation of air weapons.
	Trade and industry
	Powers in relation to business associations which are social landlords, including in relation to winding up proceedings and procedures giving protection from creditors.
	Powers to provide financial assistance for the provision of services (other than postal services and services relating to money or postal orders) to be provided from public post offices.
	Transport
	Powers to impose requirements on Scottish public authorities about the preparation and submission of strategies relating to the provision of rail services.
	Powers to transfer functions of passenger transport executives or passenger transport authorities relating to rail services, and the allocation of such functions among relevant authorities.
	The promotion and construction of railways which start, end and remain in Scotland.
	Power to impose requirements on Scottish public authorities about the preparation and submission of strategies relating to the provision of air services.
	Social security
	Powers to provide occasional financial or other assistance to or in respect of individuals for the purposes of meeting an immediate short-term need, arising out of exceptional services, to avoid risk to the individual’s well-being, or enabling qualifying individuals to establish or maintain a settled home.
	Employment
	Fire safety on construction sites and on certain premises, including those concerned in the manufacture or storage of chemicals, explosives or flammable materials.
	Amendment to part 1 of the Scotland Act 1998
	Elections
	Power to make provision as to the conduct of elections for membership of the Scottish Parliament, and the questioning of such an election and the consequences of irregularities. Made by the Scotland Act 2012 and yet to be brought into force.

Banks: Loans

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what progress he has made in his discussions with banks about publishing their lending data by postcode; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will request the Financial Conduct Authority to conduct detailed scrutiny of recent levels of lending by UK banks in areas of deprivation; and if he will make a statement.

Greg Clark: The Financial Services Act 2012 provides the FCA with a requirement to advance its objective of promoting effective competition in the interest of consumers, in particular, the FCA may have regard to the ease with which consumers who may wish to use financial services, including in areas of social and economic deprivation, can access them.
	The Government is working with the industry—through the British Bankers Association (BBA) and other interested parties-to secure a commitment from the banks that they will publish postcode level lending data by institution. If it is not possible to reach a satisfactory industry led agreement, the Government will introduce amendments to the Banking Reform Bill to ensure that the data is published.

Disclosure of Information

Michael Meacher: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will conduct an inquiry into the recent claims made that officials in his Department used powers under the Regulation of Powers Act 2000 to discover the identity of a departmental whistleblower; whether such an action would be in breach of his Department's data protection guidelines; and if, at the end of such an inquiry, he will name the individuals responsible and bring forward a prosecution under the Public Disclosure Act 2012.

David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) may investigate cases where it is alleged that information held by HMRC that identifies a person has been unlawfully disclosed by a Revenue and Customs official. HMRC does not investigate cases where it is clear that whistleblowers make a lawful disclosure using the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998.
	HMRC has assured me that when using the powers granted under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA), HMRC properly addresses the requirements of both necessity and proportionality and works within the established safeguards set out in the legislation. HMRC's use of RIPA powers is monitored by annual inspections by the Interception of Communications Commissioners Office and by the Office of the Surveillance Commissioners.

Local Government: Rural Areas

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what role city deals will play in helping rural areas; and if he will make a statement.

Greg Clark: In July 2012 the Government announced City Deals with the eight core cities. City Deals do not solely focus on their principal urban areas and we expect the benefits to be shared across the cities' wider economic functional area.
	More generally, the Government confirmed on 18 March in its response to Lord Heseltine's report "No Stone Unturned in pursuit of Growth" that building on the experience of City Deals it will be negotiating "Growth Deals" with all 39 Local Enterprise Partnerships to enter into force in April 2015. This will ensure that every part of England is able to share in the benefits of our decentralising approach, for which City Deals are the trailblazers.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Ann McKechin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the answer of 25 April 2013, Official Report, columns 1148-9W, on mortgages: Government assistance, if he will confirm whether or not non-EU citizens will be barred from applying for the mortgage guarantee scheme.

Sajid Javid: The mortgage guarantee scheme is a new scheme, and the Government needs to get the design right. Details on the Help to Buy: mortgage guarantee scheme will be announced in due course by HM Treasury.

Natural Capital Committee

Matthew Offord: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment his Department has made of the value of extending the establishment of the Natural Capital Committee.

Richard Benyon: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
	The Natural Capital Committee (NCC) is an independent Committee that reports to the Economic Affairs Committee. The NCC is due to be formally reviewed by the Government, include considering the value of extending the Committee's term, by the end of 2014.

Private Equity

Michael Meacher: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will set up an inquiry into how private equity firms marked their assets; and whether they misused fee waivers in order to avoid tax.

David Gauke: The Government is fully committed to tackling tax avoidance, taking all necessary steps to protect the Exchequer. HMRC regularly reviews all areas of the tax system to identify where aggressive tax avoidance is taking place.

Revenue and Customs

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what reason members of the public are liable for the cost of random enquiries carried out by HM Revenue and Customs into their tax affairs when they are not found to be at fault; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: HMRC is responsible for the collection and management of the taxes it administers. HMRC carries out checks into returns to make sure that taxpayers are paying the right amount of tax at the right time and receiving the right allowances and tax reliefs. HMRC does not reimburse the normal day to day costs people incur in complying with their legal obligations. This includes the cost of normal communications, of clarifying or verifying matters, and preparing returns and the costs arising from inquiries and interventions. A random inquiry is just like any other compliance check and is undertaken in a way proportionate to the risks addressed. Inquiries are closed down promptly if no additional tax is due. A taxpayer can ask a Tribunal for an inquiry to be closed if they believe it is kept open too long.

Scotland

David Hamilton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the legislation his Department has sponsored which has devolved powers to the Scottish Parliament and powers within such legislation since 1998.

David Mundell: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Scotland Office.
	Scotland Office is responsible for maintaining and strengthening the devolution settlement; together with lead policy Departments we have delivered a programme of Scotland Act orders that have provided additional powers to the Scottish Parliament, as well as delivering the Scotland Act 2012 that enhanced the devolution settlement and provided the largest transfer of financial responsibility since 1999.
	Further devolution to the Scottish Parliament is principally achieved by way of amendments to schedules 4 and 5 of the Act. Since 1998 the following changes to those schedules have been made. These are presented in summary form.
	Amendments to schedule 4 of the Scotland Act 1998
	Power to modify the Scotland Act 1998 regarding financial assistance for opposition parties in the Scottish Parliament.
	Powers to modify certain provisions of the Scotland Act 1998 requiring any sum to be payable out of the Scottish Consolidated Fund.
	Power to provide that proceedings brought in a court or tribunal against a member of the Scottish Government under the Scotland Act 1998 on human rights grounds have to be brought before the end of a limitation period (since repealed by Scotland Act 2012).
	Amendments to schedule 5 of the Scotland Act 1998
	Political parties
	The making of payments to any political party for the purpose of assisting members of the Parliament to perform their parliamentary duties.
	Referendum
	A power to allow the Scottish Parliament to conduct a referendum on the independence of Scotland from the rest of the United Kingdom, subject to certain conditions.
	Financial and economic matters
	Powers to set a rate of income tax to be paid by Scottish taxpayers, and taxes in relation to land transactions and landfill.
	Home affairs
	The interception of any communication made to or by a person detained at a place of detention.
	The regulation of air weapons.
	Trade and industry
	Powers in relation to business associations which are social landlords, including in relation to winding up proceedings and procedures giving protection from creditors.
	Powers to provide financial assistance for the provision of services (other than postal services and services relating to money or postal orders) to be provided from public post offices.
	Transport
	Powers to impose requirements on Scottish public authorities about the preparation and submission of strategies relating to the provision of rail services.
	Powers to transfer functions of passenger transport executives or passenger transport authorities relating to rail services, and the allocation of such functions among relevant authorities.
	The promotion and construction of railways which start, end and remain in Scotland.
	Power to impose requirements on Scottish public authorities about the preparation and submission of strategies relating to the provision of air services.
	Social security
	Powers to provide occasional financial or other assistance to or in respect of individuals for the purposes of meeting an immediate short-term need, arising out of exceptional services, to avoid risk to the individual’s well-being, or enabling qualifying individuals to establish or maintain a settled home.
	Employment
	Fire safety on construction sites and on certain premises, including those concerned in the manufacture or storage of chemicals, explosives or flammable materials.
	Amendment to part 1 of the Scotland Act 1998
	Elections
	Power to make provision as to the conduct of elections for membership of the Scottish Parliament, and the questioning of such an election and the consequences of irregularities. Made by the Scotland Act 2012 and yet to be brought into force.

Tax Allowances: Married People

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the potential financial effect on (a) married couples with children and (b) married couples without children of allowing the transfer of personal allowances between married couples;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the cost of making the personal allowance transferable between couples;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the proportion of people who are married who would benefit from a transferable personal tax allowance; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: The Government is committed to recognising marriage in the tax and benefit system and will bring forward proposals in due course.
	The financial effect on recipients, the cost and the number of beneficiaries will depend on the final policy design.

Taxation: Multinational Companies

Tom Clarke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with other EU Finance Ministers to ensure that multi-national corporations do not abuse financial regulations in minimising their tax obligations.

David Gauke: The Chancellor of the Exchequer regularly meets with other EU Finance Ministers and a wide range of issues are discussed. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government’s practice to provide details of such meetings.

Taxation: Retail Trade

Anas Sarwar: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps his Department is taking to ensure a level playing field in tax payments for high street and online retail businesses.

David Gauke: The UK Government has led the call for international action to address the issue of corporate tax base erosion and profit shifting by multinationals, including in relation to the taxation of digital goods and services. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development has been tasked with identifying possible options for reform and will be presenting an action plan to the G20 in July this year.
	As regards VAT, sales made over the internet are treated in exactly the same way as offline sales. Sales made by non-VAT registered retailers over the internet are not liable to VAT, but VAT-registered online sellers are obliged to charge and account for VAT in the same way as offline businesses.

Cancer

Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the extent to which clinical commissioning groups have taken on the role of ensuring that GPs and GPs with a special interest who diagnose, manage and excise low-risk basal cell carcinomas in the community are fully accredited to do so as recommended by the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence's 2010 guidance on the management of low-risk basal cell carcinomas in the community. [R]

Daniel Poulter: It is for NHS England and clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to ensure those who they contract with are suitably qualified to carry out the services for which they are engaged. The Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), has regular accountability and assurance meetings with NHS England.
	The current framework for the accreditation and re-accreditation of general practitioners with a special interest remains under review following the transition to the arrangements for NHS services in England. Within NHS England this work is being led by Dr Mike Bewick, one of NHS England's two Deputy National Medical Directors. Decisions on future arrangements will be confirmed in due course.

David Nicholson

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what (a) pension, (b) one-off payments and (c) other benefits David Nicholson will receive when he steps down as Chief Executive of NHS England next year.

Daniel Poulter: Sir David Nicholson will not receive any benefits when he steps down as chief executive of NHS England next year. Sir David’s pension and related pension benefits will be subject to the relevant scheme rules at the time he opts to access his pension.

David Nicholson

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what (a) salary and (b) other benefits David Nicholson, Chief Executive of the NHS, will receive up to his proposed retirement in March 2014.

Daniel Poulter: Sir David Nicholson’s current remuneration is published in the Departmental Resource Accounts.
	The Permanent Secretaries Remuneration Committee (PSRC) makes decisions about uplifts to Permanent Secretaries’ base pay and non-consolidated performance related payment arrangements. The PSRC have not published their recommendations for this year as yet and the Department is not able to confirm whether there will be any changes to Sir David’s remuneration before he steps down as chief executive of NHS England.

David Nicholson

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether David Nicholson, Chief Executive of the NHS, will have any responsibility for choosing his successor as Chief Executive of NHS England.

Daniel Poulter: The Health and Social Care Act 2012 provides for the chief executive of NHS England to be appointed by the non-executive board members, subject to the consent of the Secretary of State.

Down's Syndrome

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the annual cost to the NHS is of first blood tests, ultra sound scans, amniocenteses, midwife time explaining tests, counselling and abortion costs for the diagnosis of and screening for Down's syndrome.

Daniel Poulter: The National Health Service Foetal Anomaly Screening Programme (FASP) includes screening for Down's syndrome.
	NHS FASP does not routinely collect data relating to the number and associated costs of Down's syndrome screening in England on an annual basis. However, an exercise to assess these costs was undertaken in 2010-11 using three sets of birth estimates from 2009. The costs were estimated to range from £29-£31.1 million. Using the base case estimate of 671,000 births, this identified that total costs to the NHS including first blood tests, ultrasound scans, amniocenteses, midwife time explaining the tests, counselling and termination of pregnancy, where this was the woman's choice following diagnosis, was approximately £29.9 million.
	These figures also include the costs where women, following diagnosis, choose to continue pregnancy to birth. This totals £1.37 million. Therefore the total screening pathway cost if this is removed would be £28.5 million.
	The estimated cost breakdown information across the range of three birth estimates of 650,000, 671,000 and 700,000 births is contained in the decision planning tool for the Down's syndrome current strategy for England on three birth estimates for 2009 as shown in the following table.
	The figures in this basic model have been taken from the Decision Planning Tool (NHS FASP/PenTAG & KTP) model for Down's Screening current strategy, which was run for England on three birth estimates for 2009.
	
		
			 £ 
			  Base case Lower Upper 
			 Estimates of birth used 671,058 650,000 700,000 
			  2009-10 prices 2010-11 uplift 2009-10 prices 2010-11 uplift 2009-10 prices 2010-11 uplift 
			 Central coordination 1,895,735 2,000,000 1,895,735 2,000,000 1,895,735 2,000,000 
			 Total screening strategy from the offer to the screening results 17,080,673 18,020,110 16,544,677 17,454,634 17,817,344 18,797,298 
			 Invasive diagnostic procedure (CVS / amniocentesis) 7,802,120 8,231,237 7,557,287 7,972,938 . 8,138,617 8,586,241 
			 Cost of healthy foetal loss 93,600 98,748 90,663 95,649 97,637 103,007 
			 Cost of those T+ who terminate 486,739 513,510 471,461 497,391 507,732 535,657 
			 Total cost of T21 screening population live births 983,759 1,037,866 952,889 1,005,298 1,026,188 1,082,628 
			 Total screening pathway cost 28,342,626 29,901,470 27,512,712 29,025,911 29,483,253 31,104,831

Down's Syndrome

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the Government spends annually on research into Down's syndrome.

Daniel Poulter: In 2012-13, the Department's National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) spent £1.2 million on research relating to Down's syndrome through research programmes and research training awards. Total spend by the NIHR on research relating to Down's syndrome is higher than this because expenditure by the NIHR Clinical Research Network (CRN) on this topic cannot be disaggregated from total CRN expenditure.
	The Medical Research Council (MRC) is one of the main agencies through which the Government support medical and clinical research. It is an independent research funding body which receives its grant in aid from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. In 2012-13 the MRC spent £564,000 on research into Down's syndrome.

Drugs: Rehabilitation

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what recent steps he has taken to help local authorities better work with drug rehabilitation centres;
	(2)  what powers are available for local authorities to monitor the standards of drug rehabilitation centres; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: On 1 April, the Government transferred responsibility for commissioning specialist treatment for dependence on drugs and alcohol to local authorities who are supported in this role by Public Health England. Local authorities can use the tendering and contracting processes to establish how they will monitor the quality of services which they are commissioning. In addition, service providers are subject to the usual local authority requirements applicable to their particular sphere of activity which could include trading standards and environmental health.

General Practitioners

Andrew Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of appointments with GPs were made online in (a) Harrogate and Knaresborough constituency, (b) Yorkshire and the Humber and (c) England in (i) 2010, (ii) 2012 and (iii) 2013.

Daniel Poulter: NHS England have advised that information is not currently collected about the number of patients that are using the online facilities.
	However, the latest version of the NHS publication “the quarter” (page 43) has details of national data setting out the numbers of practices that have the functionality for patients to be able to book and cancel appointments electronically. This is available at:
	www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment__data/file/175648/The_Quarter_3_Q3_2012-13.pdf
	The Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) and NHS England are currently working on extra details to build on this data which will be available in due course.
	NHS England have advised that in quarter 3 of 2012-13:
	73% of practices in the old North Yorkshire and York Primary Care Trust (PCT) area;
	48% of practices in the old Yorkshire and The Humber Strategic Health Authority (SHA) area; and
	37% of practices in England
	have functionality for patients to be able to book and cancel appointments.
	The Health and Social Care Information Centre has provided a further breakdown of the information covering online appointment functionality enabled by patient and general practitioner practice:
	
		
			 Q2 2012-13 
			  North Yorkshire and York PCT Yorkshire and the Humber SHA England 
			 Total registered patients (number) 803,171 5,498,300 55,668,718 
			 Percentage of patients at enabled practices 82 57 45 
			 Total practice count (number) 98 781 8,031 
			 Percentage of enabled practices 73 49 37 
		
	
	
		
			 Q3 2012-13 
			  North Yorkshire and York PCT Yorkshire and The Humber SHA England 
			 Total registered patients (number) 805,946 5,528,448 56,063,938 
			 Percentage of patients at enabled practices 81 56 45 
			 Total practice count (number) 98 784 8,058 
			 Percentage of enabled practices 73 48 37 
		
	
	
		
			 Q4 2012-13 
			  North Yorkshire and York PCT Yorkshire and The Humber SHA England 
			 Total registered patients (number) 805,934 5,516,031 55,737,988 
			 Percentage of patients at enabled practices 81 59 47 
			 Total practice count (number) 97 780 7,974 
			 Percentage of enabled practices 73 52 40 
			 Notes: 1. Numbers and percentages of patients shown are those registered at practices which have enabled the functionality for these services—not the numbers of patients who have requested or been given access to these services. 2. North Yorkshire and York PCT includes the Harrogate and Knaresborough parliamentary constituency. 
		
	
	This information is available at the HSCIC website:
	https://indicators.ic.nhs.uk/webview/

Genito-urinary Medicine

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what warnings the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency has issued in respect of transvaginal mesh implants;
	(2)  how many women have reported concerns over transvaginal mesh implants to the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (a) in total and (b) from Scotland;
	(3)  how many clinicians have reported concerns over transvaginal mesh implants to the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (a) in total and (b) from Scotland;
	(4)  whether the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency has commissioned any studies on transvaginal mesh implants.

Daniel Poulter: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has not issued any warnings in respect of transvaginal mesh implants.
	From 1 January 2005 to 31 March 2013 the MHRA received adverse incident reports from the following numbers of women related to transvaginal mesh implants:
	(a) 95 in total in the United Kingdom
	(b) seven women reported from Scotland
	From 1 January 2005 to 31 March 2013 the MHRA received adverse incident reports from the following numbers of ‘professional users’ related to transvaginal mesh implants:
	(a) 37 in total in the UK, of which 26 were clinicians according to their stated position/occupation (this includes doctors and nurses)
	(b) two in Scotland, of which one was a clinician according to their stated position/occupation
	In February 2012 the MHRA commissioned an independent review from York University Health Economics Consortium of the published literature in the last 10 years on the most frequently reported adverse events associated with vaginal tape/sling/mesh implants used for stress urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse. The review was published on the MHRA website on 22 November 2012.

Midwives

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many midwives were employed by the NHS in the most recent five years for which figures are available; what steps he is taking to increase the numbers of midwives; and if he will make a statement.

Daniel Poulter: The following table shows the number of midwives employed in the national health service for the last five years:
	
		
			  Qualified midwives (full time equivalent) 
			 2008 18,896 
			 2009 19,496 
			 2010 20,126 
			 2011 20,519 
			 2012 20,935 
			 Source. NHS Information Centre for Health and Social Care Annual Census. Data as at 30 September each year. 
		
	
	There are over 1,377 (6.8%) more midwives in the NHS than in May 2010, and there are a record 5,000 in training.
	We are committed to ensuring the number of midwives matches the birth rate. Most women already have a choice and we are working closely with the Royal College of Midwives to ensure that personalised, one to one maternity care is available for every woman across the country. Health Education England (HEE) was established to ensure that the work force has the right skills, behaviour and training, and is available in the right numbers, to support the delivery of excellent health care and drive health improvement.
	HEE will support health care providers and clinicians to take greater responsibility for planning and commissioning education and training through development of Local Education and Training Boards which will be committees of HEE.

Palliative Care

Glyn Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the review into the Liverpool Care Pathway will be published.

Norman Lamb: The independent review panel, chaired by Baroness Neuberger, is planning to publish its report into the Liverpool Care Pathway in July.

Prescriptions: Fees and Charges

David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many medical conditions have been added to the exempt list for the purposes of prescription charges in the last 10 years;
	(2)  if his Department will add (a) asthma, (b) heart disease, (c) arthritis, (d) HIV, (e) Crohn's disease, (f) ulcerative colitis, (g) Parkinson's disease and (h) cystic fibrosis and auto-immune disease to the exempt list of medical conditions for the purposes of prescription charges;
	(3)  what his policy is on reviewing the exempt list of medical conditions for the purposes of prescription charges.

Norman Lamb: Within the last 10 years, cancer has been the only addition to the list of medical conditions which qualify patients resident in England for exemption from national health service prescription charges. This change took place on 1 April 2009.
	In 2009, Professor Sir Ian Gilmore carried out a review, at the request of the last Government, to consider how free prescriptions might be extended to all those with long-term conditions. This review made a number of proposals, and was published by this Government in May 2010.
	In the light of the challenging financial context, the Government announced in the spending review, published in October 2010, that we would not extend free prescriptions to all those with a long-term condition, and we do not intend to add any medical conditions to the list of medical exemptions. Prescription charges in England raise valuable income, in the region of £450 million each year, which helps the NHS to maintain vital services for patients.
	The Government continues to look at options for creating a fairer system of prescription charges and exemptions in England, which takes into account the overall NHS financial context and the introduction of universal credit.

Tobacco: Packaging

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the potential savings to the NHS of introducing plain cigarette packaging.

Anna Soubry: The Department published the “Consultation on standardised packaging of tobacco products” in April 2012. A consultation-stage impact assessment was published alongside the consultation.
	The Government has not yet made a decision on this policy. This is an important decision and one that will only be taken after full consideration of the consultation responses, evidence and other relevant information. This includes consideration of the impact on national health service costs.

UK Membership of EU

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his Department's top priorities are for changing the UK's relationship with the EU.

Anna Soubry: As the Prime Minister's speech on Europe in January this year made clear, the European Union needs to change both to deliver prosperity and to retain the support of its peoples. The Government is committed to help shape the future of a more competitive, flexible and democratically accountable EU, with the United Kingdom playing a leading role at the heart of the Single Market and also EU action on energy, climate change, development, foreign policy and other global challenges. In a further speech in March, the Prime Minister outlined his priorities for migrants and welfare reform, including a commitment to improve reciprocal charging for national health service care provided to citizens of European economic area countries.
	The Government is currently carrying out the Balance of Competence Review which is an evidence based and objective analysis of what EU membership means for the UK and our national interest. The health report will be published this summer. The report will not produce recommendations but will look at the impact of the EU in the area of health.

Universal Credit

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how the qualifying conditions for each passported benefit for which he is responsible will change under universal credit.

Daniel Poulter: For Help with Health Costs we have put arrangements in place for the passporting of universal credit recipients during the pathfinder phase, which started on 29 April 2013. All those in receipt of universal credit during the pathfinder phase will be entitled to Help with Health Costs, which includes free prescriptions (in England). As the target group for the Pathfinder phase excludes those with responsibility for children, and pregnant women, there is likely to be little impact on Healthy Start during this phase. However, we have put processes in place to ensure that the scheme can provide discretionary support to universal credit recipients who may become pregnant or responsible for young children.
	We are currently working across Government to agree approaches for the passporting of benefits following the full roll-out of universal credit which work smoothly while ensuring that these benefits are available to the families that need them most.

Scotland

David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the legislation his Department has sponsored which has devolved powers to the Scottish Parliament and powers within such legislation since 1998.

David Mundell: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Scotland Office.
	Scotland Office is responsible for maintaining and strengthening the devolution settlement; together with lead policy Departments we have delivered a programme of Scotland Act orders that have provided additional powers to the Scottish Parliament, as well as delivering the Scotland Act 2012 that enhanced the devolution settlement and provided the largest transfer of financial responsibility since 1999.
	Further devolution to the Scottish Parliament is principally achieved by way of amendments to schedules 4 and 5 of the Act. Since 1998 the following changes to those schedules have been made. These are presented in summary form.
	Amendments to schedule 4 of the Scotland Act 1998
	Power to modify the Scotland Act 1998 regarding financial assistance for opposition parties in the Scottish Parliament.
	Powers to modify certain provisions of the Scotland Act 1998 requiring any sum to be payable out of the Scottish Consolidated Fund.
	Power to provide that proceedings brought in a court or tribunal against a member of the Scottish Government under the Scotland Act 1998 on human rights grounds have to be brought before the end of a limitation period (since repealed by Scotland Act 2012).
	Amendments to schedule 5 of the Scotland Act 1998
	Political parties
	The making of payments to any political party for the purpose of assisting members of the Parliament to perform their parliamentary duties.
	Referendum
	A power to allow the Scottish Parliament to conduct a referendum on the independence of Scotland from the rest of the United Kingdom, subject to certain conditions.
	Financial and economic matters
	Powers to set a rate of income tax to be paid by Scottish taxpayers, and taxes in relation to land transactions and landfill.
	Home affairs
	The interception of any communication made to or by a person detained at a place of detention.
	The regulation of air weapons.
	Trade and industry
	Powers in relation to business associations which are social landlords, including in relation to winding up proceedings and procedures giving protection from creditors.
	Powers to provide financial assistance for the provision of services (other than postal services and services relating to money or postal orders) to be provided from public post offices.
	Transport
	Powers to impose requirements on Scottish public authorities about the preparation and submission of strategies relating to the provision of rail services.
	Powers to transfer functions of passenger transport executives or passenger transport authorities relating to rail services, and the allocation of such functions among relevant authorities.
	The promotion and construction of railways which start, end and remain in Scotland.
	Power to impose requirements on Scottish public authorities about the preparation and submission of strategies relating to the provision of air services.
	Social security
	Powers to provide occasional financial or other assistance to or in respect of individuals for the purposes of meeting an immediate short-term need, arising out of exceptional services, to avoid risk to the individual’s well-being, or enabling qualifying individuals to establish or maintain a settled home.
	Employment
	Fire safety on construction sites and on certain premises, including those concerned in the manufacture or storage of chemicals, explosives or flammable materials.
	Amendment to part 1 of the Scotland Act 1998
	Elections
	Power to make provision as to the conduct of elections for membership of the Scottish Parliament, and the questioning of such an election and the consequences of irregularities. Made by the Scotland Act 2012 and yet to be brought into force.

Alexander Litvinenko

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the likely future action of the Russian state towards (a) the UK and (b) opponents of the Russian government, following the application of a public interest immunity certificate to the inquest into the death of Alexander Litvinenko.

David Lidington: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), made an application for public interest immunity in line with the Government's duty to protect national security. The coroner has now made his decision on the public interest immunity claim, and it would not be appropriate to comment further while the Government considers his ruling.

Bahrain

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received about the case of Nabil Rajab in Bahrain; whether he has sought further information from the government of Bahrain about this matter; and what assessment he has made of Mr Rajab's safety.

Alistair Burt: Following allegations made Mr Rajab had gone “missing” while in custody, our embassy in Manama spoke to the Ministry of the Interior and also to Mr Rajab's lawyer, Mohammad Al Jishi.
	The Ministry of the Interior stated that Mr Rajab was being housed with other inmates in Jaw prison and was not being kept in solitary confinement.
	Mr Al Jishi confirmed he understands this to be true, and that Mr Rajab was in good health.

Bahrain

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to (a) monitor the development of houses built by the Prince's Foundation for Building Community and (b) make representations to the Bahraini government to ensure that individuals are not barred from residing in them on the basis of ethnicity.

Alistair Burt: The Prince's Foundation for Building Community will be working with the Bahrain Ministry of Housing to help educate local officials through the delivery of an exemplar project; aiming to address the country's housing shortfall, while meeting the needs of the diverse local population.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office takes an interest in this project, but it is not our place to monitor it or seek assurances. This is a matter for the Prince's Foundation and the Bahraini Government.

Capital Punishment

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government is taking to argue the case against the use of the death penalty.

David Lidington: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 17 April 2013, Official Report, column 444W.

Conditions of Employment

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many people in his Department are employed on zero hours contracts.

Alistair Burt: As mentioned in my reply to the hon. Member for Sunderland Central (Julie Elliott) on 25 January 2013, Official Report, column 321W, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) do not employ the term “Zero Hour Contract” with its employed staff. However, we have interpreted the question to mean staff who are employed for specific work and are only paid/reimbursed for the work they undertake. The FCO have five members of staff on this type of contract. This is still the case today.

ICT

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many (a) computers, (b) mobile telephones, (c) BlackBerrys and (d) other pieces of IT equipment were lost or stolen from his Department in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12 and (iii) 2012-13; and if he will make a statement.

David Lidington: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 12 December 2012, Official Report, column 341W.
	Since 12 December 2012, there has been a further loss of two BlackBerrys, bringing the total loss of 37 BlackBerrys for 2011-12. Eleven of these were in the UK and the other 26 were lost at one of our posts overseas. There were no further losses of computers, including laptops.
	For figures in 2013 (January to May), five computers, including laptops were recorded as losses. One of these was in the UK and the other four were lost at one of our posts overseas. In the same period, 12 BlackBerrys were recorded as losses. Five of these were in the UK and seven were at one of our posts overseas.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office takes its responsibilities for protecting information assets seriously and complies with mandatory requirements of the Security Policy Framework, which includes the implementation of security incident management procedures to ensure losses are dealt with appropriately.

Italy

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Italian Ministry of Education on the terms of employment of non-Italian staff at Italian universities.

David Lidington: We regard the issue of discrimination over jobs and pay against UK and foreign national lecturers in Italian universities as completely unacceptable. Our embassy in Rome has been pressing the Italian administration to resolve this issue, including through facilitating dialogue between the Ministry and the Association of Foreign Lecturers in Italy (ALLSI). I have not had the opportunity to discuss this with the Italian Ministry of Education but the British ambassador to Italy held discussions earlier this month with the recently appointed Minister for Education, Maria Chiara Carrozza, during which he raised the importance of finding a solution to this issue. The UK Government lobbied the previous Italian Government hard on this and intends to continue lobbying the new Government until a satisfactory solution is found.

Middle East

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what sanctions have been taken by (a) the Government and (b) international partners against the (i) Israeli Government and (ii) Palestinian parties in response to non-compliance with the Oslo Accords and the Road Map.

Alistair Burt: The UK does not believe that imposing sanctions on Israel/Palestine would be a constructive step. We urge both the Israeli and Palestinian authorities, including at the highest levels, to comply with their obligations under the Roadmap and take positive steps towards peace. It is a matter of much regret to the UK that 20 years after the signing of the Oslo accords, the parties have not reached an agreement on final status issues. Israel's phased withdrawals have stalled and what were envisaged as interim arrangements have become the status quo. Nonetheless, we continue to believe negotiations are the only route out of this impasse.

Middle East

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the sanctions available to the Government and international partners in response to failures by (a) Israel and (b) the Palestinians to meet their obligations under the Oslo Accords and the Road Map.

Alistair Burt: The UK does not believe that imposing sanctions on Israel or the Occupied Palestinian Territories would be a constructive step. We are working with both sides in support of US Secretary of State Mr John Kerry's efforts on a renewed US-led initiative on the middle east peace process, in particular looking at the incentives, or disincentives, that might encourage the two sides to take positive steps towards peace. While these efforts are ongoing we are firmly focused on what incentives we, along with our EU partners, can offer.

Occupied Territories

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information his Department holds on (a) how many Palestinian master plans are pending agreement with the Israeli authorities in areas (i) A, (ii) B and (iii) C of the Occupied Palestinian Territories and (b) what the average time taken for approval is of such plans; and what assessment he has made, based on the current rate of approvals, of when the whole of Area A, B and C will be covered by master plans.

Alistair Burt: In order to support development of Palestinian communities in Area C, the UK, together with others in the international community, have funded the development and submission of ‘master plans’ for a number of Palestinian communities in Area C. There are currently 32 such master plans progressing through the Israeli planning system and in December 2012, five of these were considered to have met the required technical standard by the Israeli Civil Administration.
	Master plans vary in size, depending on the community, but it is estimated that approximately 150 master plans would be needed to cover Area C. These plans do not address agricultural or grazing land. We have not made an assessment of when the whole of Area C will be covered by master plans or how long the approval process takes. Since Areas A and B are under Palestinian administrative control, Israeli-agreed master plans are not required.
	We continue to urge Israel to meet its obligations regarding the living conditions of the Palestinian population in Area C, including by accelerated approval of Palestinian master plans and simplifying administrative procedures to obtain building permits. Together with our EU partners, we have called upon Israel to work together with the Palestinian Authority to allow more access and control of the Palestinian Authority over Area C.

Occupied Territories

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which master plans have been approved for the Occupied Palestinian Territory by the Israeli government authorities in the last year; and whether such plans cover Area (a) A, (b) B and (c) C.

Alistair Burt: We are not aware of any master plans for Palestinian communities in Area C being granted final approval by the Israeli authorities in 2012.
	Through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Conflict Pool Programme, the UK has funded an International Peace and Cooperation Center (IPCC) project supporting building planning for Palestinian communities in Area C. In December 2012 five IPCC master plans were approved by the Israeli Civil Administration for Palestinian communities in Area C, with the capacity to accommodate 14,400 inhabitants, although these are now pending a period for public objection.
	The Palestinian Authority exercises administrative control over areas A and B, so the Israeli authorities do not approve master plans for these areas.

Occupied Territories

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many new housing units have been (a) announced and (b) approved in settlements in East Jerusalem and the Occupied Palestinian State since the Foreign Affairs Council in May 2012; how many new housing units have been built; how many Palestinian homes and other buildings have been demolished; how many olive trees have been destroyed or vandalised and how many Palestinians have been forcibly transferred out of Area C.

Alistair Burt: According to data from Peace Now, from May 2012, 1,713 settlement housing units have progressed in the planning progress. Tenders were issued for 453 settlement units in the west bank and 1,514 settlement units in East Jerusalem.
	According to UN statistics, in 2012, there were 65 buildings demolished by the Israeli Authorities in East Jerusalem and 71 evictions/displacements. During the same period 589 Palestinian structures were demolished in Area C in 2012 and 871 people displaced. Between January and May 2013, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) estimate that 40 structures were demolished in East Jerusalem and 206 in Area C, leaving 136 people homeless in East Jerusalem and 1,107 displaced or otherwise affected in Area C.
	We regularly make clear, publicly and privately, to Israel our serious concerns about many aspects of the Israeli occupation, including the demolition of Palestinian homes. Along with our EU partners we have called on Israel to halt the forced transfer of population and demolition of Palestinian housing and infrastructure in Area C of the west bank. We have also repeatedly condemned the building of Israeli settlements in the west bank and East Jerusalem.
	According to UN OCHA reports for 2011, approximately 9,500 trees were damaged and 8,600 trees were reported burned, uprooted, or otherwise vandalized in 2012. We are concerned by the repeated attacks on Palestinian olive trees by extremist settlers.
	We note the particular sensitivities around olive trees, given their status as a national symbol and the sole source of income for many Palestinian farmers. We have called on the relevant Israeli authorities to take all necessary steps to prevent the attacks against Palestinian farmers and bring those responsible to justice. Our embassy in Tel Aviv has raised our concerns about violence and intimidation by extremist settlers with, among others, the Israeli Attorney General, Defence Minister and Prime Minister's office.

Occupied Territories

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the building rate in Israeli settlements in east Jerusalem and the west bank in each of the last five years.

Alistair Burt: We do not have exact data available for the building rate in Israeli settlements in each of the past five years.
	However, figures from Peace Now show that in east Jerusalem, over 8,730 housing units have been advanced and approved at different stages since 2009. Peace Now data also shows 6,171 settlement construction starts in the west bank between January 2009 and June 2012.
	Our position on Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories is clear: they are illegal under international law, an obstacle to peace and make a two-state solution, with Jerusalem as a shared capital, harder to achieve.

Occupied Territories

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many Palestinians in East Jerusalem have (a) been evicted by the Israeli Government, (b) had their homes and buildings demolished and (c) had their residency status changed by the Israeli Government since 14 May 2012.

Alistair Burt: According to UN statistics, in 2012, there were 65 buildings demolished in east Jerusalem and 71 evictions/displacements. Since the start of 2013, UN statistics indicate that there have been 41 demolitions in east Jerusalem, with 341 people displaced or otherwise affected.
	According to data supplied by the Israeli interior ministry, in 2012, Israel revoked the residency of 116 east Jerusalem Palestinians, including 64 women and 29 minors. Over the same period, Israel 'reinstated' the residency status of 32 east Jerusalem Palestinians.
	We regularly make clear, publicly and privately, to Israel our serious concerns about the demolition of Palestinian homes and infrastructure and forced transfer of population in Area C and east Jerusalem. Such acts are contrary to international humanitarian law as well as causing unnecessary suffering to ordinary Palestinians and being harmful to the peace process.
	In addition we continue to support Palestinians facing demolition or eviction in the Occupied Palestinian Territories through support to the Norwegian Refugee Council legal aid programme, which helps individuals to challenge these decisions in the Israeli legal system.

Overseas Aid

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much finance the Government has provided to Israeli settlements (a) directly and (b) indirectly through procurement, tax benefits or participation in bilateral programmes since 2005.

Alistair Burt: The Government's position on Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories is clear: they are illegal under international law and an obstacle to peace. No UK public funds have gone in direct support of settlements. Due to the complexity and cost to the taxpayer, we have not made an assessment of possible indirect finance through the cited mechanisms since 2005.

Scotland

David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the legislation his Department has sponsored which has devolved powers to the Scottish Parliament and powers within such legislation since 1998.

David Mundell: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Scotland Office.
	Scotland Office is responsible for maintaining and strengthening the devolution settlement; together with lead policy Departments we have delivered a programme of Scotland Act orders that have provided additional powers to the Scottish Parliament, as well as delivering the Scotland Act 2012 that enhanced the devolution settlement and provided the largest transfer of financial responsibility since 1999.
	Further devolution to the Scottish Parliament is principally achieved by way of amendments to schedules 4 and 5 of the Act. Since 1998 the following changes to those schedules have been made. These are presented in summary form.
	Amendments to schedule 4 of the Scotland Act 1998
	Power to modify the Scotland Act 1998 regarding financial assistance for opposition parties in the Scottish Parliament.
	Powers to modify certain provisions of the Scotland Act 1998 requiring any sum to be payable out of the Scottish Consolidated Fund.
	Power to provide that proceedings brought in a court or tribunal against a member of the Scottish Government under the Scotland Act 1998 on human rights grounds have to be brought before the end of a limitation period (since repealed by Scotland Act 2012).
	Amendments to schedule 5 of the Scotland Act 1998
	Political parties
	The making of payments to any political party for the purpose of assisting members of the Parliament to perform their parliamentary duties.
	Referendum
	A power to allow the Scottish Parliament to conduct a referendum on the independence of Scotland from the rest of the United Kingdom, subject to certain conditions.
	Financial and economic matters
	Powers to set a rate of income tax to be paid by Scottish taxpayers, and taxes in relation to land transactions and landfill.
	Home affairs
	The interception of any communication made to or by a person detained at a place of detention.
	The regulation of air weapons.
	Trade and industry
	Powers in relation to business associations which are social landlords, including in relation to winding up proceedings and procedures giving protection from creditors.
	Powers to provide financial assistance for the provision of services (other than postal services and services relating to money or postal orders) to be provided from public post offices.
	Transport
	Powers to impose requirements on Scottish public authorities about the preparation and submission of strategies relating to the provision of rail services.
	Powers to transfer functions of passenger transport executives or passenger transport authorities relating to rail services, and the allocation of such functions among relevant authorities.
	The promotion and construction of railways which start, end and remain in Scotland.
	Power to impose requirements on Scottish public authorities about the preparation and submission of strategies relating to the provision of air services.
	Social security
	Powers to provide occasional financial or other assistance to or in respect of individuals for the purposes of meeting an immediate short-term need, arising out of exceptional services, to avoid risk to the individual’s well-being, or enabling qualifying individuals to establish or maintain a settled home.
	Employment
	Fire safety on construction sites and on certain premises, including those concerned in the manufacture or storage of chemicals, explosives or flammable materials.
	Amendment to part 1 of the Scotland Act 1998
	Elections
	Power to make provision as to the conduct of elections for membership of the Scottish Parliament, and the questioning of such an election and the consequences of irregularities. Made by the Scotland Act 2012 and yet to be brought into force.

Shaker Aamer

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on how many occasions he or other representatives of the UK Government have discussed with their US counterparts the case of Shaker Aamer.

Alistair Burt: The UK Government is committed to using its best endeavours to secure Mr Aamer's release and return to the UK. Ministers and senior officials continue to raise Mr Aamer's case with their US counterparts. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), raised Mr Aamer's case numerous times with Secretary Clinton, and went on to raise Mr Aamer's case with her successor, John Kerry, in May. The Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), also raised Mr Aamer's case with his US counterpart during a recent visit to Washington. I raised Mr Aamer's case with US Deputy Secretary of State Burns in April. Senior official level discussions continue with the US Administration.

Syria

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received requesting assistance in negotiating the safe release of two Greek Orthodox bishops kidnapped in Syria in April 2013; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: We are very concerned about this kidnapping, which highlights the seriousness of the situation in Syria. I have publicly condemned the kidnapping, as have prominent religious leaders, and urge whoever is holding the Bishops to release them immediately. Our officials are in direct contact with the Greek Orthodox Patriarch's office regarding this case.

UK Membership of EU

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the Prime Minister's top priorities are for reforming the UK's relationship with the EU.

David Lidington: As the Prime Minister said in January, the Government believes the EU needs to become more competitive, more flexible and more democratic. We are actively working with other EU member states and the EU Institutions to enhance Europe's Competitiveness through strengthening the Single Market, cutting the cost of EU regulation on business and concluding free trade agreements with our major trading partners around the world. We are determined to see arrangements put in place that allow those partners who have chosen to join the Euro to move towards closer fiscal integration while at the same time respecting the interests of the member states who are outside the Single Currency. We are promoting ideas about a stronger role for national Parliaments in the EU.
	In addition, as my hon. friend will know, the Prime Minister has secured the first ever agreement to a real terms cut in a Multiannual Financial Framework and has also won agreement to end the United Kingdom's liability for future Euro-zone bail-outs under the European Financial Stability Mechanism.

Western Sahara

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the answer of 6 March 2013, Official Report, column 1019W, on Morocco, if he will make representations to the United Nations on the establishment of an independent international human rights monitoring role with responsibility to report to the UN Security Council in occupied Western Sahara and in the refugee camps near Tindouf.

Alistair Burt: The UN Security Council Resolution 2099 on the UN Mission for a Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) included an emphasis on human rights, encouraging Morocco and the Polisario to continue in their respective efforts to enhance the promotion and protection of human rights in Western Sahara and the Tindouf refugee camps. We continue to emphasise the importance of full respect for human rights in discussions at the UN Security Council.

Company Finance

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many UK companies (a) do not turn over a profit as a result of only being able to pay the interest on their debts and (b) would be unable to meet debt repayments if interest rates rise.

Jo Swinson: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has not made an estimate of the number of companies not making a profit as a result of only being able to pay the interest on their debts or the number of companies that would be unable to meet their debt repayments if interest rates rise. The Bank of England in its February 2013 Inflation Report does report the number of loss-making companies in the UK as about 30% of the total company population (2010 data). However, the report does not include an estimate of the proportion of these loss-making companies that have debts and would have been profit-making if they were not paying interest on those debts.

Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of difficulties arising in Eurasian Natural Resources Corp; and whether he considers that changes to (a) corporate governance regulations and (b) stock exchange listing requirements are needed in the light of any such assessment he has made.

Jo Swinson: The UK's system of corporate governance is globally respected, and plays a key role in attracting global companies to list on UK markets. It is important that companies and their advisors are held to account for their actions where these run counter to the interests of their investors.
	In this context, I welcome the investigation by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) into the reported issues at Eurasian Natural Resources Corp. I have asked BIS officials to liaise with the SFO and to offer assistance to them if required. I also welcome the UK Listing Authority's consultation on new rules aimed at providing greater protection for independent shareholders and ensuring UK-listed companies continue to operate according to the highest standards of corporate governance.

Higher Education: Admissions

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to promote voluntary mentoring and tutoring charities aimed at widening access to universities.

David Willetts: The coalition Government has been very clear about the importance of widening participation and improving fair access in higher education—all those with the ability should have access to higher education irrespective of family income.
	To help make progress in the numbers of young people entering higher education from disadvantaged backgrounds, and in particular to the most selective universities, the Government is establishing a new framework, with increased responsibility placed on universities to widen participation. This includes arrangements for new annual access agreements under which universities plan to spend over £670 million in 2016/17 on measures to widen participation.
	Voluntary mentoring and tutoring are two of a number of widening participation activities. It is for institutions to choose, from those which they know work and have agreed with the independent Director of Fair Access, which activities aimed at widening access they wish to undertake. Universities focus their outreach and other activities where they will have the most impact for their institution.
	To make sure that we are doing everything possible to widen participation and promote fair access BIS Ministers asked the Higher Education Funding Council (HEFCE) and the Office for Fair Access (OFFA) to develop a shared strategy for promoting access which maximises the impact of all the spending by Government, HEFCE and institutions. HEFCE and OFFA are due to deliver the strategy in autumn 2013.

Local Enterprise Partnerships: Greater London

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the London Local Enterprise Partnership in (a) 2010,-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Fallon: The Government does not carry out formal assessments of the effectiveness of local enterprise partnerships (LEPs). Local enterprise partnerships are first and foremost accountable to their local community and local businesses. In the case of London; the London enterprise panel is an advisory panel to the Mayor of London, its membership is drawn from London's business community and local authorities.

Patents

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many patents have been granted in each year between 2007 and 2012.

Jo Swinson: Patents are granted by different national and regional authorities worldwide. For patents having effect in the United Kingdom, I refer the hon. Member to my reply of 20 May 2013, Official Report, columns 631-32W. Worldwide patent figures are available from the World Intellectual Property Organisation and published on its website at:
	http://www.wipo.int/ipstats/en/wipi/index.html
	A summary of the relevant data is given in the following table:
	
		
			 Calendar year Worldwide patent grants 
			 2011 996,800 
			 2010 908,600 
			 2009 809,000 
			 2008 772,100 
			 2007 770,700 
			 Source: WIPO Statistics Database, October 2012 
		
	
	Patent data for 2012 is not yet available.

Pay

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many employees in his Department were paid in excess of (a) £80,000 and (b) £100,000 in (i) 2012 and (ii) 2013.

Jo Swinson: The total number of employees that earned more than (a) £80,000 and (b) £100,000 in (i) 2012 and (ii) 2013 is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of BIS Employees 
			 Paid between £80,000 and £99,999 in 2012 44 
			 Paid over £100,000 in 2012 24 
			 Paid between £80,000 and £99,999 in 2013 46 
			 Paid over £100,000 in 2013 24 
		
	
	The table covers core BIS employees only. The figures have been based on basic salaries and allowances for staff as at 31 March 2012 and 31 March 2013.

Postal Services: Scotland

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the potential effects of Scottish independence on the Royal Mail universal service obligation.

Jo Swinson: The Government's position is clear on Scottish independence: Scotland is stronger as part of the United Kingdom and the United Kingdom is stronger with Scotland in it.
	Parliament has guaranteed, through the Postal Services Act 2011, the future of the universal postal service throughout the UK—a six days a week, uniform priced, service. This goes beyond requirements set down by European law and guarantees the high standard that the people of the UK have come to expect from their postal service.
	The steps taken by the Government to establish a new regulatory framework under Ofcom and to support Royal Mail, coupled with securing future access to private capital for the business, are the best way to safeguard the future of the one price goes anywhere universal service in the United Kingdom.
	If Scotland were to become independent, the six days a week, uniform priced service guaranteed under the Postal Services Act 2011 would no longer apply in Scotland. The framework for and provision of postal services would be a matter for the Government of an independent Scottish state to decide and implement.

Postal Services: Scotland

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the potential effects of Scottish independence on the valuation price of Royal Mail during the privatisation process.

Michael Fallon: No decisions have been made on the type of sale and the Government is not speculating on value. We will sell shares in Royal Mail at a commercial price that represents value for money for the tax payer and the value will be dependent on a number of factors, notably the company's ongoing financial performance, its future prospects and the level of investor interest.

Public Sector: Procurement

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will measure the effect of the proposed wording of Article 17 of the new EU Public Procurement Directive on (a) reserved contracts for supported employment workplaces and (b) employment opportunities for disabled people.

Michael Fallon: Cabinet Office is leading on this Government's active involvement in negotiations with the European Commission on the EU procurement rules in their entirety and will also lead on their UK transposition. Transposition activities will include the generation of cross-government and departmental policies and, where appropriate, the mechanisms through which the effect of those policies can be monitored, on this and other changes in readiness for the as yet to be determined UK implementation date.

Regional Growth Fund

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 21 May 2013, on the Regional Growth Fund (RGF), what the total value is of those bids approved from Rounds 1 and 2 of the RGF which are still awaiting approved final offers; and what the reasons are for the time taken in approval.

Michael Fallon: From the first two rounds of Regional Growth Fund (RGF) bids valued at £26.74 million are still awaiting approved final offers. The delay relates to the time taken by bidders to conclude investment decisions.

Regional Growth Fund

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 21 May 2013, Official Report, on the Regional Growth Fund, what proportion of the total bids by number for round four of the Regional Growth Fund (RGF) come from small business consortia; when he expects the remaining RGF awards for round three to be finalised; and what the total value is of those outstanding awards.

Michael Fallon: Round 4 of the Regional Growth Fund was open for projects and programmes only, and therefore no bids were received from small business consortia. However, 77 programmes have stated in their application that the principal beneficiaries of those programmes will be SMEs.
	8% (10 individual awards) of RGF Round 3 awards are yet to be finalised. The total value of these outstanding awards is £142 million. We expect these awards to be finalised or withdrawn within the next three months.

Regional Planning and Development

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proposals he has for measures to promote local economies.

Michael Fallon: Local economies are supported by a range of Government initiatives such as Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs), Enterprise Zones, City Deals, Regional Growth Fund and Growing Places Fund.
	As regards our proposals for the future, on 18 March 2013 the Government published a full response to my right hon. and noble Friend Lord Heseltine's report “No Stone Unturned”. My right hon. and noble Friend Lord Heseltine made a powerful case for increased devolution of economic powers from central Government, in particular for a transfer of funding and responsibilities to LEPs, and for a stronger voice and role for the private sector in promoting growth.
	Government believes that local businesses and local communities are best placed to determine their priorities for local economic growth, including any marketing activity. We have accepted either in full or in part 81 recommendations. This includes the Single Local Growth Fund about which the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), will announce more at the spending round in June 2013.

Sign Language: Qualifications

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which of the 19 British Sign Language qualifications on the Qualifications Credit Framework the Government funds.

Matthew Hancock: There are now 14 British Sign Language (BSL) qualifications on the Qualifications Credit Framework. Five BSL aims have been recently categorised by Ofqual as 'ceased' but continuing learners will have been funded to complete their programme of learning on these 'ceased' aims. The Government makes public funding available for the 14 qualifications in 2012/13.

Students: Drugs

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the proportion of pupils in (a) further and (b) higher education who use exam-performance enhancing drugs such as Ritalin and Modafinil; and what assessment he has made of the effect of such drugs on overall attainment.

David Willetts: We have made no such assessment. As independent and autonomous institutions further and higher education institutions are responsible for all matters relating to student conduct including monitoring performance and attainment levels. Higher education is an adult environment. However, it is a long-established principle that universities have a duty of care to their students. This is also true for further education colleges where the age range of students is wider. As such, both types of institution will determine what welfare and counselling services they need to provide to their students to offer appropriate support.

UK Trade and Investment: Northern Ireland

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on which occasions representatives from UK Trade and Investment have met with Ministers in the Northern Ireland Executive in each of the last three years.

Michael Fallon: UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) representatives have met Northern Ireland Executive Ministers on the following occasions:
	31 January 2011—The Minister of State for Trade and Investment, my noble Friend Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint, met Arlene Foster MLA Minister for Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment as part of his visit to Northern Ireland.
	27 February 2012—Nick Baird, UKTI chief executive met with Arlene Foster MLA Minister for Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment as part of his visit to Northern Ireland.
	23 October 2012—The Minister of State for Trade and Investment, my noble Friend Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint, met Arlene Foster MLA Minister for Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment as part of his visit to Northern Ireland.

Biofuels

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions she has had with ministerial colleagues about the effect of current European biofuels mandates on food prices; and what steps she is taking in response to such effects.

Lynne Featherstone: The Government is aware of the issues associated with biofuels, including potential social, environmental and food security impacts. We believe that food production must remain the primary goal of agriculture and production of biomass for bioenergy must not undermine food security in developing countries. The Government's analysis concludes that biofuels have had a minor impact on global food prices compared to other more important factors such as energy prices and weather conditions.

Biofuels

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the potential link between global hunger and the use of crops for biofuels.

Justine Greening: The Government believes that food production must remain the primary goal of agriculture and production of biomass for bioenergy must not undermine food security in developing countries. The Government’s analysis concludes that biofuels have had a minor impact on global food prices compared to other more important factors such as energy prices and weather conditions.

Developing Countries: Agriculture

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps the Government is taking to seek agreement from governments attending the 2013 G8 Summit to finance country agriculture plans identified in the G8's 2012 accountability report.

Lynne Featherstone: The G8 Summit will focus on generating growth, jobs and prosperity for the long term. To achieve this the UK G8 focuses on open economies, open governments and open societies to support free trade, tackle tax evasion and encourage greater transparency and accountability.
	The UK Government is hosting the ‘Nutrition for Growth’ event on 8 June, which will include a focus on the New Alliance on Food Security and Nutrition, launched under the United States' G8 presidency last year. The New Alliance aims to accelerate responsible investment in African agriculture in support of partner countries’ agriculture investment plans. We are expecting further African countries to launch New Alliance Cooperation Frameworks on 8 June, which will include mutual commitments by governments, private sector and donors to promote responsible investment in agriculture.

Developing Countries: Agriculture

Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps her Department has taken to increase investment in smallholder agriculture in the last three years.

Lynne Featherstone: In the last three years, DFID has spent approximately £500 million per year on food security, excluding humanitarian response. This includes programmes which provide support to smallholder agriculture in many countries, through a wide range of partners. For example, DFID is supporting land tenure in Rwanda which will provide four million poor men and women with title to the land they farm, and supporting a Farm Input Subsidy Programme in Malawi to help 1.5 million poor farmers increase their agricultural productivity.
	DFID also works with the private sector through Challenge Funds which help bring smallholder producers into agricultural value chains. For example, a company supported by this Challenge Fund in Zimbabwe will offer 35,000 small holders access to a secure grain store which will maintain the quality of their crops. DFID is also taking steps to help smallholder farmers to adapt to climate change. A grant of up to £150 million in being provided to the International Fund for Agriculture Development for its Adaptation for Smallholder Agriculture Programme. This will support climate adapted agricultural practices that will benefit up to six million smallholder farmers.

Developing Countries: Agriculture

Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps she will take at this year’s G8 summit to secure greater public investment in small-holder agriculture in developing countries.

Justine Greening: The G8 summit will focus on generating growth, jobs and prosperity for the long term. To achieve this, the UK G8 focuses on open economies, open governments and open societies to support free trade, tackle tax evasion and encourage greater transparency and accountability.
	The UK Government is hosting the “Nutrition for Growth” event on 8 June, which will include a focus on the New Alliance on Food Security and Nutrition, launched under the United States’ G8 presidency last year. The New Alliance aims to accelerate responsible investment in African agriculture in support of partner countries’ agriculture investment plans. We are expecting further African countries to launch New Alliance co-operation frameworks on 8 June. These will include mutual commitments by governments, private sector and donors to promote responsible investment in agriculture and inclusive business models which connect smallholders to markets in a sustainable way.

Developing Countries: Business

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the role of corporate transparency in the post-2015 development framework.

Justine Greening: The High Level Panel's (HLP) report calls for a "transparency revolution" by governments and companies, as a basis for poverty eradication and inclusive growth. This means tackling tax evasion and aggressive avoidance, hidden ownership of assets, and corruption, as well as promoting accountability to citizens and shareholders. The HLP recommends a target in the new goal framework on using and publishing economic, social and environmental accounts in all governments and major companies.

Developing Countries: Disability

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the role of the High-Level Panel on the Sustainable Development Goals in redressing any exclusion of disabled people from development programmes.

Lynne Featherstone: One of the High Level Panel's core messages is “leave no one Behind”. In a major change from the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), its report recommends that goals and targets will only be ‘achieved’ if they are met for all groups—this means people with disabilities as well as groups defined by ethnicity, gender, income, and other factors. Data on progress towards all goals should be disaggregated by these groups.
	The report also addresses a key lesson of the MDGs regarding disabilities by stating that all children “regardless of circumstance” should have access to primary and secondary education, and achieve standards of learning. The Prime Minister worked hard on the panel to ensure disabilities were properly addressed.

Developing Countries: Economic Growth

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of Britain's aid budget is allocated to projects targeted towards economic growth and economic development.

Justine Greening: In 2012-13, 7.5% of the bilateral aid budget (£615 million) was spent on Wealth Creation projects. In addition, we estimate that about the same share again is spent by multilaterals including the World Bank and regional development banks on Wealth Creation.
	The figures do not include the indirect contribution that other interventions make to economic growth and economic development.

Developing Countries: Health Services

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how her Department is supporting the training and support of community health workers in countries with a high burden of maternal, newborn and child mortality.

Lynne Featherstone: There is increasing evidence that community health workers are an essential part of a skilled health work force and can be especially critical in countries with a high burden of maternal, newborn and child mortality. The Department for International Development focuses its work in high burden countries, and supports those that have elected to include community health workers within their health care system.
	For example, in Zambia DFID is supporting the government to expand its community health assistant programme in which health assistants take on tasks, previously done by nurses, such as treatment of pneumonia and malaria. In Pakistan, with DFID support, nearly 100,000 Lady Health Workers provide outreach preventive and curative services to around 80 million people, with a positive impact on family planning, antenatal care, breast feeding and vaccination.

Developing Countries: Health Services

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much and what proportion her Department spent annually on improving maternal, newborn and child health over the last three years.

Lynne Featherstone: The UK Statistics for International Development (SID) 2007-08 to 2011-12 were published in May 2013. These are available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-international-development/about/statistics
	SID does not disaggregate maternal, newborn and child health expenditure. However, 22% of DFID's bilateral programme was classified under the ‘Health’ sector (£929 million).
	Total bilateral spending under health including spending to improve maternal, newborn and child health for the periods requested is as follows:
	2009-10: £683 million
	2010-11: £830 million
	2011-12: £929 million.
	At the Muskoka 2010 G8 Summit, the G8 partners launched the Muskoka Initiative on Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH). An agreed methodology for tracking donor support to MNCH has been agreed and the UK results were reported in the 2012 G8 Accountability Report available at:
	http://www.g8.utoronto.ca/summit/2012campdavid/g8-cdar.html
	The report noted that the G-8 is on track to meet its commitment based on self-reported annual targets over baseline budgets and progress against those targets to date. A revised 2013 report will be released in the coming months.

Developing Countries: Land

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans the Government has to establish a new multilateral Land Transparency Initiative to address international land grabs at the 2013 G8 Summit meeting.

Justine Greening: The Prime Minister has outlined an ambitious agenda for the UK's G8 presidency, aimed at advancing trade, ensuring tax compliance and promoting transparency. We will use the G8 presidency to promote responsible and productive land-based investments through greater transparency.

Developing Countries: Maternal Mortality

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment she has made of international maternal mortality rates; and what steps her Department is taking to reduce those rates.

Lynne Featherstone: Globally, an estimated 287,000 maternal deaths occurred in 2010, a decline of 47% from levels in 1990.
	The UK has committed to: save the lives of at least 50,000 women during pregnancy and childbirth and 250,000 newborn babies by 2015; and support at least 2 million safe deliveries, ensuring long lasting improvements in quality maternity services, particularly for the poorest 40%. To achieve this, the UK Government is putting women, and children at the heart of our development efforts. All DFID focus countries have a country-level or regional programme to improve reproductive, maternal and newborn health. They aim to prevent the three delays which cause maternal and child deaths; the delay in decision to seek care, the delay in reaching care; and delay in receiving care. The UK is also committed to work to empower women and girls to make healthy reproductive choices; remove barriers to accessing services; expand the supply of quality services; and improve accountability for results.

Developing Countries: Neonatal Mortality

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps her Department is taking to reduce rates of neonatal mortality in developing countries.

Lynne Featherstone: The UK strongly supports the implementation of the United Nations Secretary-General's Global Strategy for Women's and Children's Health, "Every Woman Every Child" (EWEC) to reduce maternal deaths and improve child mortality with the aim of saving the lives of 16 million women and children by 2015. As part of this strategy, the UK has committed to save the lives of at least 50,000 women during pregnancy and childbirth and 250,000 newborn babies by 2015; and support at least 2 million safe deliveries, ensuring long lasting improvements in quality maternity services, particularly for the poorest 40%.
	To achieve this, the UK Government is putting women and children at the heart of our development efforts. All DFID focus countries have a country-level or regional programme to improve reproductive, maternal and newborn health. They aim to prevent the three delays which cause maternal and child deaths; the delay in decision to seek care, the delay in reaching care; and delay in receiving care. The UK is also working to empower women and girls to make healthy reproductive choices; remove barriers to accessing services; expand the supply of quality services; and improve accountability for results.

International Assistance

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions Ministers have had with the ONE organisation on progress towards the Millennium Development Goals.

Lynne Featherstone: The Secretary of State for International Development, the right hon. Member for Putney (Justine Greening), has met with ONE, alongside other non-governmental organisations, to discuss developing a replacement framework for the Millennium Development Goals, and the IF campaign. Other DFID Ministers have not had discussions with ONE.

Nigeria

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what representations she has made to the Nigerian authorities in connection with the need to ensure civilian safety during the recent military offensive in the North East region of that country.

Lynne Featherstone: Protecting human rights is essential for maintaining the support of the population in the face of terrorism and religious extremism. We have raised the issue with the Nigerian authorises at the highest levels.
	I was on a visit to Nigeria when the State of Emergency was declared in three states in the north of the country. In a meeting with Nigerian Vice-President Sambo I took the opportunity to emphasise the need for human rights to be respected. During the discussion the Vice President assured me that the armed forces deployed under the State of Emergency had clear rules of engagement to protect human rights. The UK Government will continue to encourage the Nigerian Government to ensure that those rules of engagement are effective in protecting civilians.

Personnel Management

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many officials in her Department were employed in human resources functions in each of the last five years; at what grades such staff were employed; and what the total cost of her Department's human resources functions was.

Alan Duncan: The number of Human Resources officials within DFID, by grade and the total cost of the HR function for each of the last five years is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 
			 Number of Officials 117 101 81 66 66 
			 Director 1 1 1 1 2 
			 Deputy Director 2 2 2 2 1 
			 G6 9 9 9 6 7 
			 G7 10 13 10 10 8 
			 SEO 14 13 9 9 11 
			 HEO 20 22 16 13 12 
			 EO 20 19 17 13 14 
			 AO 38 22 16 11 10 
			 AA 3 0 1 1 1 
			       
			 Total cost of Department (£)(1) 7,840,000.00 6,365,000.00 5,259,000.00 3,703,000.00 3,741,000.00 
			 (1) These figures include both salary and non salary costs (i.e. costs of such as legal costs, training costs, recruitment costs and policy/operational delivery etc.).

Scotland

David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will list the legislation her Department has sponsored which has devolved powers to the Scottish Parliament and powers within such legislation since 1998.

David Mundell: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Scotland Office.
	Scotland Office is responsible for maintaining and strengthening the devolution settlement; together with lead policy Departments we have delivered a programme of Scotland Act orders that have provided additional powers to the Scottish Parliament, as well as delivering the Scotland Act 2012 that enhanced the devolution settlement and provided the largest transfer of financial responsibility since 1999.
	Further devolution to the Scottish Parliament is principally achieved by way of amendments to schedules 4 and 5 of the Act. Since 1998 the following changes to those schedules have been made. These are presented in summary form.
	Amendments to schedule 4 of the Scotland Act 1998
	Power to modify the Scotland Act 1998 regarding financial assistance for opposition parties in the Scottish Parliament.
	Powers to modify certain provisions of the Scotland Act 1998 requiring any sum to be payable out of the Scottish Consolidated Fund.
	Power to provide that proceedings brought in a court or tribunal against a member of the Scottish Government under the Scotland Act 1998 on human rights grounds have to be brought before the end of a limitation period (since repealed by Scotland Act 2012).
	Amendments to schedule 5 of the Scotland Act 1998
	Political parties
	The making of payments to any political party for the purpose of assisting members of the Parliament to perform their parliamentary duties.
	Referendum
	A power to allow the Scottish Parliament to conduct a referendum on the independence of Scotland from the rest of the United Kingdom, subject to certain conditions.
	Financial and economic matters
	Powers to set a rate of income tax to be paid by Scottish taxpayers, and taxes in relation to land transactions and landfill.
	Home affairs
	The interception of any communication made to or by a person detained at a place of detention.
	The regulation of air weapons.
	Trade and industry
	Powers in relation to business associations which are social landlords, including in relation to winding up proceedings and procedures giving protection from creditors.
	Powers to provide financial assistance for the provision of services (other than postal services and services relating to money or postal orders) to be provided from public post offices.
	Transport
	Powers to impose requirements on Scottish public authorities about the preparation and submission of strategies relating to the provision of rail services.
	Powers to transfer functions of passenger transport executives or passenger transport authorities relating to rail services, and the allocation of such functions among relevant authorities.
	The promotion and construction of railways which start, end and remain in Scotland.
	Power to impose requirements on Scottish public authorities about the preparation and submission of strategies relating to the provision of air services.
	Social security
	Powers to provide occasional financial or other assistance to or in respect of individuals for the purposes of meeting an immediate short-term need, arising out of exceptional services, to avoid risk to the individual’s well-being, or enabling qualifying individuals to establish or maintain a settled home.
	Employment
	Fire safety on construction sites and on certain premises, including those concerned in the manufacture or storage of chemicals, explosives or flammable materials.
	Amendment to part 1 of the Scotland Act 1998
	Elections
	Power to make provision as to the conduct of elections for membership of the Scottish Parliament, and the questioning of such an election and the consequences of irregularities. Made by the Scotland Act 2012 and yet to be brought into force.

Sudan

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the implications of the current security situation in Darfur on (a) the delivery of aid, (b) access for humanitarian agencies and (c) the performance of UNAMID in that region.

Lynne Featherstone: I continue to be concerned about the security situation in Darfur which is deteriorating. The UK continues to press the Government of Sudan, rebel movements and tribal leaders to work for peace as well as lobbying for access through our bilateral relations and in the UN Security Council. The lack of access in Darfur is seriously impacting the ability of agencies to deliver aid. As acknowledged in a report of 10 April to the UN Security Council by the UN Secretary General the United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur could be more effective in carrying out its mandate to protect civilians. Officials have discussed the effectiveness of the mission on a number of occasions over the past few months with the newly appointed Joint Special Representative Mohamed Ibn Chambas.

Sudan

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what reports she has received of the recent Darfur Donor Conference in Doha.

Lynne Featherstone: Senior UK officials attended the Darfur Donor Conference in Doha on 7 to 8 April. The conference was a welcomed opportunity to refocus international attention on the continuing insecurity and under-development in Darfur. We were pleased to see the overwhelming support among international partners for building real peace in Darfur. At the Conference the UK welcomed the re-commitment of the Government of Sudan and the Liberation and Justice Movement made to meet their obligations under the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur. My officials took the opportunity to remind the Government of Sudan of the need to improve the operating environment for development to be effective. Development partners need access to design, implement and monitor programmes.

Turks and Caicos Islands

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what financial support her Department has provided to the British Overseas Territory, Turks and Caicos in the last 12 months.

Alan Duncan: DFID has not provided any direct financial assistance to the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) Government over the. last 12 months. A commercial bank loan facility of US$260 million is supported by the UK Government until 2016. DFID also provided technical assistance to improve the TCI Government's management of its finances.

Arrest Warrants

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many requests have been made by other European countries for use of the European Arrest Warrant in each year for which data is available; and which 10 countries have made the largest number of requests over this period;
	(2)  how many times the UK European Arrest Warrant has been used by the UK in each year for which data is available.

Mark Harper: The European Arrest Warrant (EAW) scheme is managed by the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), although policy oversight is the responsibility of Home Office Ministers. I would refer my hon. Friend to the written ministerial statement of 16 April which informed the House of an error SOCA had identified in the capture and reporting of information on the number of outgoing EAW (Part 3) requests that have been executed since 2009-10. HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary (HMCIC) was asked to review SOCA's processes and to report back to the Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), by mid-May. The report has been submitted; amended data will be supplied to Parliament shortly.

Bellerbys College

Tessa Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the letter of 21 August 2012 from the right hon. Member for Dulwich and West Norwood to the Department for Education, which was referred to the UK Border Agency regarding allegations of widespread falsification of examination results at Bellerbys Colleges, when she plans to provide the right hon. Member with an update on the ongoing investigation; who has responsibility for any such investigation; and what steps she plans to take following the report of that investigation.

Mark Harper: I will write separately to the right hon. Member about this question.

British Nationality

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many British citizens have had citizenship revoked (a) in total, (b) for reasons not conducive to the public good and (c) for fraud, false representation or concealment of facts on a citizenship application in each year since 2000;
	(2)  what factors she takes into account when considering whether to remove British citizenship for reasons not conducive to public good;
	(3)  how many British citizens who have had their citizenship revoked since 1 January 2000 had been British citizens for (a) less than one year, (b) between one and 10 years and (c) more than 10 years;
	(4)  how many people have had British citizenship revoked for reasons relating to (a) terrorism and (b) Islamic extremism since 2000;
	(5)  how many British citizens have had citizenship revoked since 1 January 2000; what other nationalities each held; and how many initially acquired British citizenship by each available route;
	(6)  how many (a) men and (b) women have had British citizenship revoked in each year since 2000;
	(7)  how many people who have had British citizenship revoked in each year since 2000 were aged (a) under 18, (b) between 18 and 34, (c) between 35 and 54 and (d) 55 years of age and over on the date of revocation.

Mark Harper: Since 2000, 24 individuals have had their British citizenship revoked in the following years:
	
		
			  Number 
			 2006 1 
			 2007 1 
			 2009 2 
			 2010 5 
			 2011 6 
			 2012 6 
			 2013 3 
		
	
	Of the 24, 20 were deprived on conducive grounds alone; two on both conducive and fraudulent grounds and two because of fraud, false representation or concealment of facts.
	The Secretary of State may deprive an individual when it is ‘Conducive to the Public Good', on the grounds of involvement in terrorism, espionage, serious organised crime, war crimes or unacceptable behaviours. She shall not deprive a person of their British citizenship on 'conducive' grounds if it would render the individual stateless.
	For reasons of confidentiality, the Home Office does not routinely comment on individual cases and so it is not appropriate to indicate why individuals have, been deprived for the specific reasons set out in the question.
	Of the 24 individuals that have had their citizenship revoked—two had British citizenship for less than one year; 13 had held citizenship between 1-10 years; nine had held citizenship for more than 10 years.
	The 24 individuals other nationalities were: Russian, Somalian, Yemeni, Australian, Pakistani, Afghan, Albanian, Egyptian, Lebanese, Sudanese, Vietnamese, Iranian, Iraqi and Nigerian. These individuals had either held British citizenship from birth or acquired it by application.
	The 24 revocation cases are made up of both male and female .individuals all of whom were over the age of 18. For reasons of confidentiality, the Home Office does not routinely comment on individual cases and so it is not appropriate to indicate specifically the number of male and female cases or the ages of those deprived as set out in my hon. Friend’s question.
	This information has been provided from local management information and is not a National Statistic. As such it should be treated as provisional and therefore subject to change.

Departmental Responsibilities

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (a) what the budget is of and (b) how many individuals are employed in the Crime Team in her Department.

Damian Green: The Home Office undertakes a wide range of activity related to cutting crime, both operational and policy. The Home Office Business Plan will be published shortly. It will present the budgets and number of staff in the Department including those for the Crime and Policing Group which has responsibility for crime policy.

Domestic Violence

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many calls citing complaints of (a) domestic violence and (b) antisocial behaviour police forces received in the last 12 months; and how many people who had made such calls subsequently received visits from the police;
	(2)  how many (a) arrests were made on charges relating to domestic violence and (b) emergency telephone calls concerning allegations of domestic violence were logged by police forces in the last 12 months.

Jeremy Browne: The number of calls citing complaints of victimisation of domestic violence or antisocial behaviour is not collected by the Home Office. Figures are collected instead on numbers of reported incidents.
	The latest available information collected by the Home Office shows that there were 796,935 reported domestic violence and abuse incidents in England and Wales in 2011-12 (excluding Gloucestershire as their figure was unavailable and also excluding the British Transport Police). These figures are provisional and not verified by police forces. The number of people who made calls of domestic violence and antisocial behaviour who subsequently received visits from the police is not collected by the Home Office.
	The total number of antisocial behaviour incidents reported by the police in England and Wales for the year ending September 2012 was 2.4 million. The percentage of these incidents which resulted in a visit from the police is estimated to be approximately 77%. This figure reflects the number of incidents and not the number of victims visited. Forces that could not fully record the category breakdown of these incidents were excluded from the calculation and the figures exclude British Transport Police. These figures have not undergone detailed data quality checks.
	The requested arrests data are not collected centrally. The number of emergency telephone calls concerning allegations of domestic violence is not collected by the Home Office.

Entry Clearances: Israel

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Israelis have been refused visa applications to travel or visit the UK in the last three years.

Mark Harper: The latest available statistics for applications for visas, their issue and refusal for Israelis for the last three years appear in the table.
	Israelis are included in the group of non-EEA nationals (known as 'non-visa nationals') who may be admitted to the UK for periods up to six months without requiring a visa. Further details are available at the web page:
	http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/visas-immigration/general-info/non-visa-nationals/
	
		
			 Entry clearance visas applied for, issued and refused to Israeli nationals, 2010 to 2012 
			    Of which: 
			  Applications Resolved Issued Refused Withdrawn or lapsed 
			 2010 Total 1,279 1,268 1,071 188 9 
			 Of which:      
			 Visitors n/a n/a 62 n/a n/a 
			       
			 2011 Total 996 1,021 847 167 7 
			 Of which:      
			 Visitors n/a n/a 74 n/a n/a 
			       
			 2012 Total 1,120 1,133 950 172 11 
			 Of which:      
			 Visitors n/a n/a 69 n/a n/a 
			 n/a = not available. Notes: 1. Figures include dependants. 2. Some decisions may related to applications received in previous years. Source: Immigration Statistics, January to March 2013, Table be.02.q and be.06.q.o 
		
	
	The latest Home Office immigration statistics on entry clearance visas are published in the release Immigration Statistics January to March 2013, which is available from the Library of the House and on the Department's website at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/home-office/series/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release

Human Trafficking

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were found to be victims of human trafficking in each local authority area in the UK in each of the last 30 years.

Mark Harper: Data on the local authority in which victims of human trafficking have been found is not routinely recorded at present.
	As set out in the Inter-Departmental Ministerial Group's report on human trafficking, published on 18 October 2012, the Government is focusing on improving its collection of data on human trafficking victims to strengthen the UK's response to this crime.

Human Trafficking

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures her Department has in place to collect and collate data on human trafficking from (a) within the UK, (b) within Europe and (c) outside Europe.

Mark Harper: A number of data mechanisms exist including the National Referral Mechanism, the UK Human Trafficking Centre annual baseline assessment, criminal intelligence records and contributions to, and from Europol.

Human Trafficking

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were (a) arrested, (b) prosecuted and (c) imprisoned for crimes of human trafficking in each of the last 30 years.

Mark Harper: Arrest data is not held centrally.
	The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates court, found guilty and sentenced at all courts, with sentence breakdown, for human trafficking offences, in England and Wales, from 2004 to 2011 (latest available), can be viewed in the table.
	The figures in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.
	
		
			 Defendants proceeded .against at magistrates court, found guilty and sentenced at all courts, with sentence breakdown, for human trafficking offences, England and Wales, 2004-11(1,2) 
			 Offence and outcome 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008(3) 2009 2010 2011 
			 Trafficking into, within and out of the UK for sexual exploitation(4)         
			 Proceeded against 5 26 40 25 53 33 24 9 
			 Found guilty 0 12 15 15 24 23 10 8 
			 Sentenced 0 12 15 15 24 23 10 8 
			 Of which:         
			 Suspended sentence 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 
			 Immediate custody 0 12 15 14 23 21 10 8 
			 Otherwise dealt with 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 
			          
			 Trafficking people into, within and out of the UK for the purpose of exploitation(5)         
			 Proceeded against 0 1 3 2 8 14 6 7 
			 Found guilty 0 0 6 8 0 2 6 0 
			 Sentenced 0 2 6 8 0 2 6 0 
		
	
	
		
			 Of which:         
			 Community sentence 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Suspended sentence 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 
			 Immediate custody 0 2 5 8 0 2 5 0 
			 (1) The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates court for April, July and August 2008. (4) Includes offences under SS.57-59 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003, which came into force on 1 May 2004. (5) Includes offences under S.4 Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants) Act 2004, which came into force on 1 December 2004. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice

Human Trafficking

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the key achievements of the inter-ministerial team on human trafficking have been to date.

Mark Harper: The Inter-Departmental Ministerial Group on human trafficking and modern slavery oversees, co-ordinates and drives anti-trafficking efforts in the UK. Its first report, published on 18 October 2012, set out the UK's key anti-trafficking achievements to date. The report can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/human-trafficking-inter-departmental-ministerial-group-report-2012

Human Trafficking

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many human trafficking units there are in the UK.

Mark Harper: The UK Human Trafficking Centre, based in the Serious Organised Crime Agency, is a central repository for human trafficking intelligence and provides tactical advice to police forces undertaking human trafficking operations across the UK. It works closely with the human trafficking policy team in the Home Office. The Metropolitan Police's specialist trafficking unit (SC&09) is the operational lead for human trafficking offences in London and provides operational advice to other forces in England and Wales.
	Responsibility for justice matters in Northern Ireland is devolved to the Northern Ireland Department of Justice, which has established a policy unit to respond to matters relating to human trafficking. The Police Service of Northern Ireland's Organised Crime Branch provides the police operational lead on matters relating to human trafficking.
	In Scotland justice matters are devolved to the Scottish Government, which has established a National Human Trafficking Unit to co-ordinate Police Scotland's response to human trafficking. The Unit oversees and drives forward operational activities.

Human Trafficking

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of operation (a) Pentameter 1 and (b) Pentameter 2 in combating human trafficking; and what replacements she has put in place since their termination.

Mark Harper: The Pentameter operations were police-led enforcement campaigns aimed at combating human trafficking for sexual exploitation. They resulted in a significant number of victims being recovered and traffickers prosecuted. An assessment of the operations produced by the House Library can be found at:
	www.parliament.uk/briefing-papers/sn04324.pdf
	The lessons learnt from the Pentameter operations have enabled trafficking to be addressed as part of core-police business.

Human Trafficking

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Lichfield of 13 May 2013, Official Report, column 10W, on human trafficking: Lichfield, how many people subjected to human trafficking were found in each county in England and Wales in (a) 2011, (b) 2012 and (c) 2013 to date; and if she will make a statement. [R]

Mark Harper: Data on where potential human trafficking victims are found, or state they have been exploited, are not collected routinely by county. The following table provides data on the number of potential victims identified by the region in which they were located and referred into the National Referral Mechanism, between 1 January 2011 and 31 March 2013.
	The National Referral Mechanism records live case information. The following data provide a 'snapshot' in time and is subject to change.
	
		
			 ACPO region/country of presentation 1 January 2011 to 31 December 2011 1 January 2012 to 31 December 2012 1 January 2013 to 31 March 2013 
			 Not Recorded 78 177 81 
			 East Midlands 17 17 17 
			 Eastern 67 60 28 
			 Isle of Man Constabulary 0 1 0 
			 London 258 286 115 
			 North East 132 123 31 
			 North West 81 78 31 
			 Northern Ireland 32 12 4 
			 Scotland 93 86 21 
			 South East 86 194 25 
			 South West 28 32 9 
			 Wales 24 26 4 
			 West Midlands 50 94 43 
			 Grand total 946 1,186 409 
		
	
	Officials continue to work with the UK Human Trafficking Centre to establish how data can be routinely collected, recorded and broken down by region/county/local authority to better inform anti-trafficking activities.

Human Trafficking

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the recommendations of the report It Happens Here, published by the Centre for Social Justice in March 2013, if she will take steps to (a) establish an anti-slavery commissioner and (b) bring forward a modern slavery bill.

Mark Harper: The Government is considering the recommendations in the Centre for Social Justice report and will respond through the next Inter-Departmental Ministerial Group report.

Immigration

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many slots are available each day at the public enquiry office at Lunar House for indefinite leave to remain applications through UK visas and immigration.

Mark Harper: holding answer 20 May 2013
	Appointments at Lunar House Public Enquiry Office are released for booking on a first come, first served basis irrespective of application type. As the booking system makes no distinction between application routes for reporting purposes, this information is not available.

Immigration

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions her Department has had on the likely number of Romanian and Bulgarian nationals who might migrate to the UK over the next three years; and what assessment she has made of the potential effects on her Department.

Mark Harper: The Home Office regularly monitors and analyses overall migration data to help inform policy decisions. However, we have not prepared forecasts of likely inflows from Romania and Bulgaria once restrictions are lifted. The Government accepts the view of the independent Migration Advisory Committee that to produce such estimates “would not be sensible, or helpful to policymakers”.
	Rather than produce speculative forecasts, the Government's priority is to cut out abuse of free movement and address pull factors such as access to benefits and public services. The Home Office is working closely with other Government Departments on these issues.

Immigration

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the longest recorded delay in providing an applicant with their travel documents once a decision has been taken on granting their right to indefinite leave to remain has been to date.

Mark Harper: Persons granted indefinite leave to remain (ILR) are not automatically issued with travel documents when ILR is granted. All travel documents have to be applied for separately using application form TD112 (BRP). Where the applicant is a refugee or stateless person the application will be considered in accordance with our obligations under the 1951 and 1954 UN conventions—respectively refugees and stateless persons. Where the person has humanitarian protection or discretionary leave to remain following refusal of asylum or ILR, and has been formally and unreasonably refused a passport by their national authorities, we may issue certificates of travel (COT) in line with the guidance published on our website.
	There are 26 cases that have been identified as being outstanding from before 2011. These are broken down by reason:
	Security reasons: one
	Applicant on remand: one
	Applicant wanted by the police: one
	Status under review following criminal conviction: eight
	Ongoing investigations into possible criminal activity: five
	Applicant suspected of being an impostor/ status obtained by deception: seven
	On going deportation case: three.

Immigration

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to reduce the time taken to provide applicants with their travel documents once a decision has been taken to grant them indefinite leave to remain.

Mark Harper: Persons granted Indefinite leave to remain (ILR) are not automatically issued with travel documents when ILR is granted. All travel documents have to be applied for separately using application form TD112 (BRP). It is possible that a person granted ILR may decide to wait years before applying for a travel document.
	Where the applicant is a refugee or stateless person the application will be considered in accordance with our obligations under the 1951 and 1954 UN Conventions respectively—refugees and stateless persons. Where the person has humanitarian protection or discretionary leave to remain following refusal of asylum, or ILR and has been formally and unreasonably refused a passport by their national authorities, we may issue certificates of travel (COT) in line with the guidance published on our website.
	We are aware that there are delays in the processing of travel document applications and are exploring ways of improving the process. We are looking at introducing aspects of I-Apply to screen out non-compliant applications, and outsource document production by sharing IT processes with HM Passport Office. In the interim we are looking to increase staff levels.

Immigration

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reasons it is not possible to make a simultaneous application to the UK Border Force for indefinite leave to remain and travel documents.

Mark Harper: Travel documents are issued by the Home Office to facilitate travel by those wishing to travel who are unable to obtain a national passport.
	Applications for indefinite leave to remain (ILR) and travel documents are completely separate. A person applying for ILR must show that they qualify under the appropriate immigration rules under which the application is being made, and pay the fee agreed by Parliament and published in the Fees Regulations. Depending on what type of travel document is being sought a travel document applicant will need to show that they qualify under the 1951 UN Convention on the status of Refugees, the 1954 UN Convention on Stateless Persons, or under the published guidance on certificates of travel (COT). Certificates of Travel are issued at the discretion of the Secretary of State.
	The fee for documents issued under the 1951 or 1954 Conventions is tied by the Conventions to that for a national passport. The fee for a COT is agreed by Parliament in the Fees Regulations.
	Since February 2012 all travel document applicants have been required to have or to simultaneously apply for a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) which confirms their current immigration status. Where the applicant has been previously been granted ILR and they do not have a valid BRP they have been able, and in fact are required, to make a simultaneous application for a BRP to confirm that there is no time limit on their stay.

Immigration: Children

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many unaccompanied children have arrived on UK flights and been returned to their country of origin in 2010, 2011 and 2012.

Mark Harper: We do not hold data on the number of unaccompanied children arriving on flights in the United Kingdom in 2010, 2011 and 2012. We do know the number of non-British citizen children who were subject to further examination at airports, however determining how many were unescorted and were subsequently returned to their country of origin, could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.

Immigration: Children

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many unaccompanied children have applied for temporary leave to remain in the UK in 2010, 2011 and 2012, broken down by country of origin.

Mark Harper: Information on how many unaccompanied children have applied for temporary leave to remain in the UK is only held at the level of coordinated paper case files or within the notes section of the Home Office Case Information Database (CiD). Such data is not aggregated in national reporting systems, which would mean this question could only be answered through a disproportionately expensive manual case search to collate the data.

Passports

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of the population (a) in total and (b) who are (i) English, (ii) Welsh, (iii) Scottish and (iv) Northern Irish own a passport; and what assessment she has made of the reasons for differences in the ownership of passports between the constituent parts of the UK.

Mark Harper: The issuing of passports is a matter for the Her Majesty's Passport Office on behalf of the Secretary of State for the Home Department. The location of a person's birth within the United Kingdom is not relevant to the passport application. The issuing of a British passport relies on the person's ability to show their entitlement to British citizenship and to confirm their identity. Her Majesty's Passport Office does not routinely hold data on the address of the applicant at the time of their application as an address does not reflect the country of birth or nationality. However, data acquired for 2011-12 show that the proportion of the UK population who own a UK passport is estimated at 80%. The proportion of the population who made an application from an address in (i) England was 84.93%; (ii) Wales was 4.56%; (iii) Scotland was 8.44%; and Northern Ireland was 2.06%. This analysis is caveated as being a very high-level assessment.

Passports: Hong Kong

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many Hong Kong Chinese servicemen have been refused UK passports since 1997;
	(2)  how many Hong Kong Chinese servicemen have applied for UK passports since 1997;
	(3)  what guidance her Department has given on the (a) issuing and (b) reasons for refusal of UK passports to Hong Kong Chinese (i) naval and (ii) army personnel since the handover of the former Hong Kong Territory in 1997;
	(4)  for what reasons only 500 soldiers of the Hong Kong Military Service Corps have been issued with a UK passport to date; and if she will issue every serving and retired soldier of that Corps with a UK passport.

Mark Harper: Her Majesty's Passport Office does not hold records in the format requested. The issuing of a British passport requires the applicant to satisfy HM Passport Office of their identity and their entitlement to British nationality.
	Under the British Nationality Selection Scheme introduced in 1990, Hong Kong Military Service Corps (HKMSC) settled in Hong Kong could apply to register as a British citizen. The scheme ended on 31 December 1996. The decision to make an application under the scheme was a matter for the individual and therefore, the number of successful applications under the scheme was based on the applications received. There are no plans to introduce new or additional measures to allow former HKMSC personnel to acquire citizenship.
	It is open to persons to register as a British citizen under nationality legislation. Detailed information and advice can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/becoming-a-british-citizen

Passports: Lost Property

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many complaints there have been to her Department that passports and official documents have been lost while in the care of a Government Department in each of the last five years.

Mark Harper: There is no centrally-held data about the number of complaints received about passports and official documents lost while in the care of a Government Department. However, I am able to provide information obtained from Her Majesty's Passport Office and the former UKBA respectively.
	The information in the table is taken from the Passport Application Complaints System (PACS) and relates to the number of complaints received by Her Majesty's Passport Office about the UK Passport services we provide.
	Specifically, the table shows the number of complaints received from customers who claim their supporting documents have been lost by Her Majesty's Passport Office during the years 2008-09 to 2012-13.
	The term 'supporting documents' may relate to Birth and Marriage Certificates; UK and Foreign Passports or any other documentation submitted in support of an application, for nationality or identity purposes.
	The organisation formerly known as UKBA has recorded 1,218 complaints relating to lost passports and official documents on its complaints management system (CMS) since 1 January 2011. 564 in 2011, 468 in 2012 and 186 in 2013 to date. We do not hold data prior to this. These data exclude complaints made by detainees in immigration detention and those made overseas where data are not readily available
	
		
			 Total complaints received 
			  Number 
			 2008-09 131 
			 2009-10 97 
			 2010-11 94 
			 2011-12 73 
			 2012-13 67

Police and Crime Commissioners

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her policy is on youth police and crime commissioners; and what steps her Department is taking to encourage police and crime commissioners to engage more effectively with young people.

Damian Green: It is for the Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) to make decisions about appointing staff, including youth police and crime commissioners, and ensuring that any appointees carry out their duties effectively. PCCs are responsible for deciding their local policing priorities, including the engagement of young people. They also have a duty under the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 to consult their local community. It is ultimately for their local electorate to hold them to account at the ballot box.

Police ICT Company

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has to make the Police ICT company subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Damian Green: The Police ICT Company as it is currently constructed is not subject to the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
	The Act applies to “public authorities”, which include “publicly-owned companies” as defined in section 6. The Police ICT Company does not fall within the relevant definition because it is not wholly owned either by the Crown, or any other body which is subject to the Act.

Public Appointments

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who the members of the (a) Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, (b) Animal Procedures Committee, (c) Independent Police Complaints Commission, (d) Independent Safeguarding Authority, (e) Investigatory Powers Tribunal, (f) National DNA Database Ethics Group, (g) National Policing Improvement Agency and (h) Office of Surveillance Commissioners were on 1 January 2013; and what the (i) ethnicity, (ii) term of office and (iii) remuneration is of each such member.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 20 May 2013
	: Members of these bodies, along with information about their remuneration and term of office are set out in a table placed in the House Library. The Commissioner for Public Appointments collates and publishes information on the number of appointments of candidates from ethnic minority backgrounds; however this information is not broken down by public body or ethnicity. The Commissioner's annual reports are at:
	http://publicappointmentscommissioner.independent.gov.uk
	copies of which are also available in the Library of the House.

Regulation

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will provide the estimated cost of each regulation introduced by her Department since May 2010; and what the estimated benefits of each regulation (a) amended and (b) revoked were.

James Brokenshire: Full impact assessments of all new regulations impacting business can be found on the Home Office website. The following table summarises the regulations introduced since January 2011.
	
		
			 Home Office measures in scope for one-in, one-out 
			 Title of the measure Purpose of the measure In, out, net zero cost Date the measure came into force Equivalent annual net cost to business (£ million, 2009) 
			 Specification for new firearms To require imitation firearms to conform to specifications Zero net cost August 2011 0.00 
		
	
	
		
			 Firearms (electronic communications) order 2010 To permit notifications of firearms transactions to be sent via approved methods of electronic communication Out April 2011 -0.83 
			 Reform of the student immigration system (Tier 4) To ensure students from outside the EU come for a limited period, to study and make a positive contribution while here. This measure is designed to eliminate abuse of the system In April 2011 25.50 
			 Introducing an annual limit on the number of non-EU economic migrants admitted into the UK to live and work (Tiers 1, 2) To apply a limit to Tier 1 and Tier 2 categories and amend the criteria for entry. This will contribute to a policy of reducing net migration significantly. The Government is committed to this policy on the basis that greater selectivity of migrants could reduce the pressure on public services, incentivise the up-skilling of native workers, and increase public confidence in the immigration system In April 2011 22.00 
			 Alcohol Licensing Measures Measures to rebalance the alcohol licensing regime to enable local ‘Licensing Authorities’ (LAs) and the police to clamp down on alcohol-related crime and disorder In April 2012 17.00 
			 Changes to Tier 5 of the Points Based System for immigration and overseas domestic workers To assist genuine migrant workers who need to be in the UK for relatively short periods of time, while providing appropriate protection against abuse and exploitation Zero net cost April 2012 0.00 
			 Migration fees changes To ensure that there are sufficient resources to secure the UK Border and reduce migration. Zero net cost April 2012 0.00 
			 Changes to Code of Practice (Alcohol) Changes to Code of Practice (Alcohol) In April 2012 0.80 
			 Implementation of reforms to the vetting and barring scheme Implementation of reforms to the vetting and barring scheme Out October 2012 -9.10 
			 Reform of Vehicle Immobilisation Ban vehicle immobilisation and towing without lawful authority, and extend police powers to remove cars from private land In October 2012 24.60 
			 Early Morning Restriction Orders To enable local authorities to clamp down on pockets of late night alcohol-related problems by banning alcohol sales at any time between midnight and 6 am In October 2012 10.10 
			 Pathogens and Toxins Make changes to list of substance classed as pathogen or toxin Out October 2012 -0.05 
			 Tackling Metal Theft—prohibit cash payments and higher fines Prohibition of cash-based payments for scrap metal In October 2012 5.80 
			 Family Migration Route Changes to migration through the Family route In October 2012 0.02 
			 Authority to Carry A counter-terrorism measure. The regulations require a carrier to pay penalty if the carrier brings specific individuals to the UK with no authority to do so In October 2012 1.20

UK Border Agency

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many UK Border Agency staff in (a) Scotland, (b) England, (c) Wales, (d) Northern Ireland and (e) the UK were (i) on zero hour contracts and (ii) temporary staff in each of the last three years.

Mark Harper: The UK Border Agency has not employed any staff on zero hour contracts in each of the last three years.
	The number of temporary staff employed by the UK Border Agency changes throughout the year to flexibly respond to demand. The number of temporary staff employed for each year is shown as an average in the following table:
	
		
			  Temporary staff(1) 
			 Area Average 10-11(2) Average 11-12 Average 12-13 
			 (a) Scotland 11 * 4 
			 (b) England 283 117 660 
			 (c) Wales 8 4 0 
			 (d) Northern Ireland * 0 0 
			 Location not recorded centrally 5 * 12 
			 (e) The UK 310 127 676 
			 ‘*’ = 3 or less. We do not release workforce numbers of between 1 and 3 to avoid identifying individuals. Totals for this range are shown as 3. (1) Temporary staff is defined as Agency workers and Contractors. Fixed term appointments on permanent terms and conditions are counted as permanent staff. (2) For each of the three years the figures exclude Border Force, this is consistent with the structure of the UK Border Agency at 31 March 2013.

UK Human Trafficking Centre

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much funding her Department has given to the UK Human Trafficking Centre in each year since its inception; and what funding is proposed for the centre in each of the next three years.

Mark Harper: The UK Human Trafficking Centre (UKHTC) began operations in 2006, based in South Yorkshire police. South Yorkshire police received specific funding to support its operation as a specialist national unit as set out in the following table:
	
		
			 Period £ 
			 2006-07 591,000 
		
	
	
		
			 2007-08 834,084 
			 2008-09 (1)1,712,000 
			 2009-10 1,602,000 
			 (1) The budget in 2008-09 included a contribution to allow for a one off purchase of a necessary IT system. 
		
	
	In April 2010 the UKHTC transferred into the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA). Since this date it has been funded from SOCA's general budget.
	From October 2013 the UKHTC will form part of, and be funded through, the National Crime Agency general budget.

Violence against Women and Girls Ministerial Group

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the answer of 15 April 2013, Official Report, column 154W, on the Violence Against Women and Girls Ministerial Group, what the (a) Department and (b) ministerial level or Civil Service grade was of each attendee at the last five meetings of the Violence Against Women and Girls Inter-Ministerial Group.

Jeremy Browne: Since 2010 the Violence against Women and Girls Inter-Ministerial Group consists of the following Departments. For each Department the ministerial level and civil service grade (where deputy director or above) of those attending is given in the following table.
	
		
			 Table: 156978 
			 Department Minister Civil service grade 
			 Home Office Secretary of State Director level 
			  Minister of State Deputy Director 
			  Parliamentary Under Secretary of State — 
			    
			 Department of Health Parliamentary Under Secretary of State Deputy Director 
			    
			 Ministry of Justice Parliamentary Under Secretary of State — 
			    
			 Department for Education Parliamentary Under Secretary of State Deputy Director 
			    
			 Ministry of Defence Minister of State Deputy Director 
			    
			 Department for Work and Pensions Parliamentary Under Secretary of State — 
		
	
	
		
			    
			 Attorney General's Office Solicitor General — 
			    
			 Welsh Government Parliamentary Under Secretary of State — 
			    
			 Foreign & Commonwealth Office Minister of State Deputy Director 
			    
			 Child Exploitation & Online Protection Centre — Chief Executive of Child Exploitation & Online Protection Centre 
			    
			 Crown Prosecution Service — Director level 
			    
			 Department for Communities and Local Government Parliamentary Under Secretary of State Deputy Director 
			    
			 Department for Culture, Media and Sports Parliamentary Under Secretary of State Deputy Director 
			    
			 Department of Transport Parliamentary Under Secretary of State — 
			    
			 Department for International Development Parliamentary Under Secretary of State — 
			 Government Whip Spokesperson in the House of Lords on International Development and Government Whip and Spokesperson on Health, Justice and Women and Equalities — 
			    
			 Government Whip Spokesperson in the House of Lords on Women & Equalities and Work & Pensions; Government Whip for the Home Office and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. — 
			 Government Whip Spokesperson for Cabinet Office, International Development, Women and Equalities and Business Innovation and Skills. —

Scotland

David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will list the legislation her Department has sponsored which has devolved powers to the Scottish Parliament and powers within such legislation since 1998.

David Mundell: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Scotland Office.
	Scotland Office is responsible for maintaining and strengthening the devolution settlement; together with lead policy Departments we have delivered a programme of Scotland Act orders that have provided additional powers to the Scottish Parliament, as well as delivering the Scotland Act 2012 that enhanced the devolution settlement and provided the largest transfer of financial responsibility since 1999.
	Further devolution to the Scottish Parliament is principally achieved by way of amendments to schedules 4 and 5 of the Act. Since 1998 the following changes to those schedules have been made. These are presented in summary form.
	Amendments to schedule 4 of the Scotland Act 1998
	Power to modify the Scotland Act 1998 regarding financial assistance for opposition parties in the Scottish Parliament.
	Powers to modify certain provisions of the Scotland Act 1998 requiring any sum to be payable out of the Scottish Consolidated Fund.
	Power to provide that proceedings brought in a court or tribunal against a member of the Scottish Government under the Scotland Act 1998 on human rights grounds have to be brought before the end of a limitation period (since repealed by Scotland Act 2012).
	Amendments to schedule 5 of the Scotland Act 1998
	Political parties
	The making of payments to any political party for the purpose of assisting members of the Parliament to perform their parliamentary duties.
	Referendum
	A power to allow the Scottish Parliament to conduct a referendum on the independence of Scotland from the rest of the United Kingdom, subject to certain conditions.
	Financial and economic matters
	Powers to set a rate of income tax to be paid by Scottish taxpayers, and taxes in relation to land transactions and landfill.
	Home affairs
	The interception of any communication made to or by a person detained at a place of detention.
	The regulation of air weapons.
	Trade and industry
	Powers in relation to business associations which are social landlords, including in relation to winding up proceedings and procedures giving protection from creditors.
	Powers to provide financial assistance for the provision of services (other than postal services and services relating to money or postal orders) to be provided from public post offices.
	Transport
	Powers to impose requirements on Scottish public authorities about the preparation and submission of strategies relating to the provision of rail services.
	Powers to transfer functions of passenger transport executives or passenger transport authorities relating to rail services, and the allocation of such functions among relevant authorities.
	The promotion and construction of railways which start, end and remain in Scotland.
	Power to impose requirements on Scottish public authorities about the preparation and submission of strategies relating to the provision of air services.
	Social security
	Powers to provide occasional financial or other assistance to or in respect of individuals for the purposes of meeting an immediate short-term need, arising out of exceptional services, to avoid risk to the individual’s well-being, or enabling qualifying individuals to establish or maintain a settled home.
	Employment
	Fire safety on construction sites and on certain premises, including those concerned in the manufacture or storage of chemicals, explosives or flammable materials.
	Amendment to part 1 of the Scotland Act 1998
	Elections
	Power to make provision as to the conduct of elections for membership of the Scottish Parliament, and the questioning of such an election and the consequences of irregularities. Made by the Scotland Act 2012 and yet to be brought into force.

Driving Offences: Sentencing

Susan Elan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will consider the merits of setting a minimum custodial sentence for offenders convicted of a second or third driving-related offence.

Jeremy Wright: The Government has no plans to create a mandatory minimum sentence for repeat driving offences at the present time. There is nothing preventing the courts from imposing sentences up to the maximum penalty if the offending behaviour is serious enough. This includes custodial sentences of up to 14 years for the most serious offences, including driving while disqualified and driving or attempting to drive under the influence of excess alcohol, as well as dangerous driving and offences where death was caused. The courts take relevant previous offences into account into deciding what sentence to impose.
	We do keep all offences and penalties under review. That is why we created a new offence of causing serious injury by dangerous driving in the Legal Aid Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act which carries a five-year maximum prison sentence, and which was commenced on 3 December.

Legal Aid Scheme: Wales

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much was paid out in criminal legal aid costs to solicitors firms in (a) Wrexham constituency and (b) North Wales in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Jeremy Wright: The Legal Aid Agency records costs relating to firms by legal aid procurement area, which is broadly based on local authority boundaries. The information requested falls under the remit of the Legal Services Commission however the same applies as the information has historically been recorded by local authority.
	This information is provided in the table in relation to the Wrexham local authority and the North Wales region.
	
		
			 Criminal legal aid costs, North Wales 
			 £ million 
			  2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			 Wrexham 2.00 2.04 1.70 
			 Other 4.74 5.14 4.74 
		
	
	
		
			 Total 6.74 7.18 6.44 
			 Notes: 1. The costs include VAT and disbursements such as expenses, third party costs, and costs paid by Her Majesty's' Courts and Tribunals Services (HMCTS) on crown court cases. 2. The information does not include costs paid by the Court of Appeal, Supreme Court, House of Lords, and Senior Court Costs Office. Solicitor advocates are treated as barristers and costs paid to them are not included as part of the firm.

Legal Aid Scheme: Wales

Susan Elan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many firms received criminal legal aid payments in (a) Wrexham constituency and (b) North Wales in each of the last three years for which records are available.

Jeremy Wright: The Legal Aid Agency and its predecessor the Legal Services Commission (pre 1 April 2013) records costs relating to firms by legal aid procurement area, which is broadly based on local authority boundaries. We have provided this information as a reasonable proxy for constituency boundaries in relation to the Wrexham local authority and the North Wales region.
	
		
			 Criminal legal aid firms, North Wales 
			 Number 
			  2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			 Wrexham 6 7 7 
			 Other 23 23 22 
			 Total 29 30 29 
			 Note: Solicitor advocates are treated as barristers and not included as part of the firm.

Legal Aid Scheme: Wales

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many firms received criminal legal aid payments in (a) Vale of Clwyd constituency and (b) North Wales in each of the last three years for which records are available.

Jeremy Wright: The Legal Aid Agency and its predecessor the Legal Services Commission (pre 1 April 2013) records costs relating to firms by legal aid procurement area, which is broadly based on local authority boundaries. We have provided this information as a reasonable proxy for constituency boundaries in relation to the Denbighshire local authority and the North Wales region.
	
		
			 Criminal legal aid firms, North Wales 
			 Number 
			  2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			 Denbighshire 3 3 3 
			 Others 26 27 26 
			 Total 29 30 29 
		
	
	Please also note that Solicitor advocates are treated as Barristers and not included as part of the firm.

Legal Aid Scheme: Wales

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much was paid out in criminal legal aid costs to solicitors firms in (a) Vale of Clwyd constituency and (b) North Wales in each of the last three years for which records are available.

Jeremy Wright: The Legal Aid Agency and its predecessor the Legal Services Commission (pre 1 April 2013) records costs relating to firms by legal aid procurement area, which is broadly based on local authority boundaries. We have provided this information as a reasonable proxy for constituency boundaries in relation to the Denbighshire local authority and the North Wales region.
	
		
			 Criminal legal aid costs 
			 £ million 
			  2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			 North Wales: Denbighshire 1.37 1.48 1.25 
			 North Wales: Others 5.37 5.70 5.19 
			 North Wales: Total 6.74 7.18 6.44 
			 Notes: 1. The costs include VAT and disbursements such as expenses, third party costs, and costs paid by Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Services (HMCTS) on crown court cases. 2. The information does not include costs paid by the Court of Appeal, Supreme Court, House of Lords, and Senior Court Costs Office. Solicitor advocates are treated as Barristers and costs paid to them are not included as part of the firm.

Prison Sentences

Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when the costs and damages ordered by the European Court of Human Rights to be paid to Mr Brett James, Mr Nicholas Wells and Mr Jeffrey Lee in its judgement of 18 September 2012 were paid.

Damian Green: All three offenders are serving an indeterminate sentence of imprisonment for public protection (IPP), imposed before changes to the statutory construction of the sentence came into effect in July 2008. The Court did not find the IPP sentence unlawful. Her Majesty’s Government will continue to fight vigorously any claims citing the European Court’s judgment brought by offenders serving an IPP sentence in the domestic courts, which it considers to be without merit.
	The costs and damages awarded to Mr Brett James and Mr Nicholas Wells, ordered by the European Court of Human Rights, were paid on 5 March 2013. For Mr Lee, payment was made on 4 March 2013.
	The Court ordered that 3,000, 8,000 and 6,200 euros in respect of compensation be paid to Mr James, Mr Lee and Mr Wells respectively. The Court also ordered that 12,000 euros be paid to each offender in respect of costs.

Prisoners

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the (a) age group, (b) length of sentence and (c) declared health problem by type is of the UK prison population.

Jeremy Wright: Information on the prison population in England and Wales by length of sentence and age group are published and available in the prison population section of the 'Offender Management Statistics Quarterly Bulletin' available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/series/prisons-and-probation-statistics
	The requested data can be found in Table 1.1a and Table 1.8 respectively.
	Information is not held centrally on prisoners’ declared health problems. However, in November 2010, the Ministry of Justice published the results of a survey of prisoners sentenced to between one month and four years in 2005 and 2006 (Surveying Prisoner Crime Reduction—SPCR). The survey found that 34% of prisoners reported having a long-standing illness, disability or infirmity (Table 1). (Ministry of Justice 2010, ‘Compendium of reoffending statistics and analysis’. November 2010.)
	
		
			 Table 1: Type of long-standing illness or disability reported by prisoners (multiple responses possible) 
			 Health issue Number Percentage 
			 Problem with arms, legs, hands, feet, back or neck (including arthritis or rheumatism) 166 34.4 
			 Difficulty in seeing 22 (1)4.6 
			 Difficulty in hearing 22 (1)4.6 
			 Skin conditions, allergies 31 (1)6.4 
			 Chest, breathing problem, asthma, bronchitis 121 25.1 
			 Heart, blood pressure or blood circulation problems 56 11.6 
			 Stomach, liver, kidney or digestive problems 70 14.5 
			 Diabetes 15 (1)3.1 
			 Depression, bad nerves 127 26.3 
		
	
	
		
			 Mental illness, suffer from phobia, panics or other nervous disorders 94 19.5 
			 Learning difficulties 24 (1)5.0 
			 Epilepsy 37 (1)7.7 
			 Other health problems or disabilities 26 (1)5.4 
			 (1) Percentages should be treated with caution due to low counts. Notes: 1. Base size 484. 2. Two respondents did not answer this question but are included in the base size. 
		
	
	This self-report might exclude those with hidden issues, those who were not able to disclose mental illness, and those without insight into their condition. A separate analysis of prisoners' responses to this question, questions about their general health, and answers to an anxiety and depression screening scale found that approximately 36% of the sample could be considered to have a disability. This figure is made up of 28% with anxiety and depression, 11% with some form of physical disability, and 8% both (figures do not add up to 36% because of rounding) (Cunniffe, C, Van de Kerckhove, R, Williams K, and K Hopkins ‘Estimating the prevalence of disability amongst prisoners: results from the Surveying Prisoner Crime Reduction (SPCR) survey’. Ministry of Justice Research Summary 4/12).
	This can be compared to estimates of disability among the general population ranging from around one in five (19%) (Office for National Statistics 2007, ‘Family Resources Survey Statistical Report’ 2005/06) to one in four (26%) (Howe 2010, ‘Life Opportunities Survey’ Interim Results: 2009/10).
	These estimates may not include short-term or temporary illnesses or conditions.

Prisons: Employment

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether prisoners who are not receiving income from work under the Prisoner Earnings Act 1996 are not working because of restrictions arising from their health.

Jeremy Wright: NOMS does not record the number of prisoners who are eligible to work under the Prisoners' Earnings Act 1996. To identify these prisoners would require examining and collating personal records from individual establishments and this would incur disproportionate costs.

Climate Change

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Defence about the potential security implications of climate change for the UK.

Gregory Barker: DECC Ministers meet regularly with ministerial colleagues from other Government Departments to discuss Government business. However, the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey) has not met the Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) recently to discuss the security implications of climate change for the UK.
	The UK recognises that climate change has the potential to act as a "threat-multiplier", exacerbating existing tensions and resource stresses. This poses a risk to the security and prosperity of the UK. The Department is in regular dialogue with other Government Departments, including the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Ministry of Defence and the Department for International Development, as we work together on these issues.

Climate Change: Central America

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  what steps he is taking to ensure cross-departmental co-operation with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office over the effects of climate change in Central America;
	(2)  what steps he is taking to increase public awareness of the effects of climate change on Central America.

Gregory Barker: DECC co-operates with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) across its range of international work on climate change: demonstrating leadership domestically and through the EU; building the case for global ambition in key countries, supporting the development of low carbon resilient economies, and ensuring progress within-the international negotiations. This includes working with countries according to their individual circumstances.
	In the case of Central America, FCO posts have made use of their bi-lateral funds to increase public awareness of issues in their host countries, including the effects of climate change and the need for international action. These projects are diverse and include climate change education in Belize, biodiversity protection work in Costa Rica and a regional forum on climate change challenges, held in San Salvador.
	In addition, the UK has provided £15 million of climate finance to the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility. This facility assists developing countries in their efforts to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation and to foster conservation, sustainable management of forests, and enhancement of forest carbon stocks (all activities commonly referred to as "REDD+") by providing value to standing forests.
	A significant proportion of Central American countries are already participants in the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility. These include Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama, Nicaragua and Guatemala. Further details on the specific activities supported in Central American countries can be found here:
	http://www.forestcarbonpartnership.org/redd-country-participants
	The UK has also provided £100 million of climate finance to the Scaling Up Renewable Energy Program (SREP) in low income countries. This is part of the Climate Investment Funds. The SREP supports a number of pilot countries, including Honduras, to scale up the deployment of renewable energy solutions and expand renewables markets. Further details on the specific activities supported in Honduras can be found here:
	https://www.climateinvestmentfunds.org/cifnet/?q=country/honduras
	The UK Government has taken action to increase public awareness of the likely effects of climate change. This included funding the Met Office Hadley Centre to produce a map in 2011 outlining some of the impacts that may occur if the global average temperature rises by 4 °C (7 °F) above the pre-industrial climate average. The map showed that this average rise will not be spread uniformly across the globe and gave an indication of what the likely implications could be for different parts of the world, including Central America.

Climate Change: Polar Regions

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent discussions he has had with the British Antarctic Survey regarding that body's research into climate change in the polar regions.

Gregory Barker: The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey) has not had any recent discussions with the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), regarding its research into climate change in the polar regions. However, I visited BAS in 2011, to learn more about its research work. My officials are in regular contact with BAS scientists and one of its scientists has been working on a part-time basis with DECC as a Government Knowledge Integrator, since August 2012.

Conditions of Employment

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many people in his Department are employed on zero hours contracts.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change does not employ any people on zero-hour contracts.

Fracking

Dan Byles: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the expected rate of fugitive methane emissions from the development of UK onshore shale gas resources; and whether he intends to commission additional research on this subject.

Michael Fallon: In December 2012, the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey) requested a study to gather available evidence on potential greenhouse gas emissions from shale gas extraction in the UK and the compatibility of potential UK shale gas production and use with climate change targets. A report is being prepared with the outcome of this study and recommendations to mitigate the impacts of shale gas exploration, production and use. I expect this report to be published in the summer.

Methane: Arctic

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  what steps he is taking to ensure the levels of methane gas released from arctic ice are monitored and measured;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effects of arctic methane release on climate change;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the changing amount of methane in arctic permafrost released over the last 10 years.

Gregory Barker: The Department is contributing to the Arctic Research Programme (ARP) of the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), which aims to improve our capability to predict changes in the Arctic, particularly over timescales of months to decades, including regional impacts and the potential for feedbacks on the global Earth System.
	Part of this programme includes observational measurements to quantity and understand better methane release from the Arctic, including from continental shelves under the Arctic Ocean. The ARP is also collaborating with Canadian scientists and the Met Office Hadley Centre (MOHC), on the study of methane release from Arctic permafrost.
	The most recent data suggest that marine sources of methane in the Arctic are currently insignificant and, although Arctic terrestrial methane emissions may be increasing in places, overall there has been no significant increase.
	Current evidence suggests that recent methane release in the Arctic has had limited effect on the climate but that much larger emissions, if they were to occur in the future, would potentially have a major impact. These are considered most likely to arise from land-based permafrost sources rather than from marine sources, but further research is required to understand better the risks.
	Further information on the ARP is available at:
	http://www.arctic.ac.uk/programme/

Nuclear Installations

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he plans to publish his review of the Radiation (Emergency Preparedness and Public Information) Regulations (REPPIR) covering emergencies around nuclear installations; with which stakeholders his Department has liaised in revising the existing regulations; what assessment he has made of the guidelines produced by the International Atomic Energy Agency on the issue of emergency planning zones; what consideration he has given to the proposal for a European Council Directive laying down basic safety standards for protection against the dangers arising from exposure to ionising radiation; which consultants have been contracted to assist in the revisions; and if he will publish on his departmental web site all papers his Department has assessed during the revision process.

Michael Fallon: The European Commission (EC) brought forward a formal proposal for a new basic safety standards directive that brings together and consolidates four existing Euratom directives, with a Euratom recommendation, on radiation protection.
	DECC has overall UK government responsibility for negotiating the revision of the EU basic safety standards directive. A cross-Government group has been convened to ensure a consistent approach across UK Government. DECC is working closely with other Government Departments and agencies, and officials from the devolved Administrations, to contribute to negotiations. DECC have been fully engaged in the negotiations to develop the proposal to amend the basic safety standards directive through participation in the Council working group—the Atomic Questions Working Group.
	DECC will consider whether any revisions to the Radiation (Emergency Preparedness and Public Information) Regulations 2001 are required once the directive has been finalised. At the present time, no consultants have been contracted to assist with, revising REPPIR as part of this process. Similarly, DECC is not able to publish on its website any papers, assessed during the REPPIR revision process as this process has not taken place.
	The UK Government considers international guidelines, including those of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), when developing nuclear emergency preparedness policy. It is cognisant of the type and sizes of emergency planning zones recommended by the IAEA. IAEA guidelines are likely to be considered as part of any future UK government review of REPPIR.

Renewable Energy

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will raise the fixed feed-in tariff threshold with regard to cooperative and community energy schemes.

Gregory Barker: The Government is considering an amendment to the Energy Bill which would seek to increase the specified maximum capacity of the feed-in tariff scheme from the current 5 MW limit.

Supply Estimates

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to the detailed breakdown of Part II table changes from 2012-13 for his Department's main supply estimates for 2013-14 (a) what programmes are supported and (b) how much funding each such programme receives under subheading C, drive ambitions on climate change at home and abroad.

Gregory Barker: The programmes, funded under subheading C, Drive ambitious action on climate change at home and abroad, together with the breakdown of expenditure shown in the 2013-14 Main Estimate, are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 £000 
			  Programme Name 2012-13 2013-14 
			 Resource Drive ambitious action on climate change at home and abroad 1,890 1,225 
			  EU ETS and Tax 2,150 895 
			  International and EU Energy and Security 4,075 3,400 
			  International Climate Change 2,900 2,900 
			  International Climate Fund 25,000 0 
			 Capital International Climate Fund 190,000 400,000

Supply Estimates

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to Part III: Note G of his Department's Main Estimates, 2013-14, what programmes are supported under E4-DEL, fuel drivers resilience.

Michael Fallon: Government is committed to working with business and regulators to reduce the likelihood of disruptions to energy and fuel supplies, and to ensure that contingency arrangements are in place to respond to emergencies when they do occur. The programme of work detailed under Part III: Note G of his Department's Main Estimates, 2013-14, under E4-DEL is part of the wider programme of work Government has in place to help support the downstream oil industry's contingency planning and details are provided on the DECC website at:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/meeting_energy/en_security/downstream_oil/improving/improving.aspx

Travel

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department spent on ministerial travel by (a) Government Car Service, (b) private hire vehicles, (c) taxis, (d) rail, (e) aviation and (f) other means in each year of the current parliament.

Gregory Barker: Departmental spend on the Government Car Service is published annually in a written ministerial statement given by the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey), copies of which can be found in the Libraries of the House. Details of such costs for the current Parliament will be published in the normal way later this year.
	A summary of the information for DECC is as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2009-10 303,129.83 
			 2010-11 131,272.97 
			 2011-12 36,687.79 
		
	
	Other car hire, taxi services:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2009-10 303.74 
			 2010-11 20,999.89 
			 2011-12 31,786.60 
			 2012-13 8,140.97 
		
	
	Details of ministerial rail travel is as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2010-11 8,600 
			 2011-12 2,100 
			 2012-13 2,800 
		
	
	The details of overseas travel by Ministers are published quarterly, and can be found on
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications?departments%5B%5D=department-of-energy-climate-change&publication_type-transparency-data
	All travel is taken in accordance with the Ministerial Code.

Big Society Foundation

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  what contracts his Department held with the Big Society Foundation in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13; and what contracts his Department currently holds with that organisation;
	(2)  how much funding his Department allocated to the Big Society Foundation in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13; and how much he expects to allocate in 2013-14.

Nick Hurd: The Big Society Foundation is a subsidiary of Big Society Capital (BSC). The Government has never had any funding allocated to, or contracts with, the Big Society Foundation.

British Nationals Abroad: Caribbean

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many British citizens have visited the Caribbean in each of the last seven years.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated May 2013
	.
	I am able to report estimated visits to the Caribbean made by UK citizens or nationals who are resident in the UK. Estimates are derived from the International Passenger Survey and are provided separately from 2006 to 2012.
	A 'visit to the Caribbean' is a trip abroad by a UK national residing in the UK, during which a Caribbean country is the main country of visit. Anyone travelling to the Caribbean on a cruise will be recorded as having gone on a 'fly cruise' rather than visited the Caribbean. Fly cruises are therefore excluded from the figures.
	
		
			 Table 1: Number of visits by UK nationals to the Caribbean in the last seven years 
			  Number (thousand) 
			 2006 977 
			 2007 977 
			 2008 886 
			 2009 845 
			 2010 821 
			 2011 811 
			 2012 723 
			 Source: International Passenger Survey

Government Departments: Procurement

Andy Sawford: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps his Department takes to ensure that checks are made in Government procurement processes so that no contractors or providers practise blacklisting of workers.

Chloe Smith: Public sector procurers are required to comply with principles of openness, transparency and non-discrimination, including from EU treaties, when awarding public contracts.
	The Government expects companies not to break either data protection law, trade union law or the Blacklists Regulations when planning or undertaking work for the public sector.

Public Sector: Business Interests

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  when he plans to respond to the Public Administration Select Committee's report on Business Appointment Rules, Session 2012-13, HC 404;
	(2)  whether he is considering the introduction of statutory regulation of the business appointment rules;
	(3)  whether he is considering the appointment of a conflict of interest and ethics commissioner to oversee the business appointment rules;
	(4)  with reference to the conclusions of the report by the Public Accounts Select Committee entitled, Business Appointment Rules, Session 2012-13, HC 404, whether he plans to abolish the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments and replace it with a more powerful organisation;
	(5)  whether he plans to introduce more stringent oversight of moves between the Civil Service and the private sector;
	(6)  if he will bring forward legislative proposals to prevent companies from buying up the accumulated knowledge of experienced civil servants.

Francis Maude: The Government is considering the recommendations of the Public Administration Select Committee in its report on the Business Appointment Rules, Session 2012-13, HC 404. The Government is looking at the Rules in the light of a number of the recommendations put forward by the Committee, and will respond as soon as possible.

Thromboembolism: East of England

Bob Russell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people died from venous thromboembolism in each hospital trust area in the East of England in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated May 2013
	.
	Death from venous thromboembolism usually occurs as a result of pulmonary embolism. Table 1 therefore provides the number of deaths where either pulmonary embolism or deep vein thrombosis was the underlying cause of death, in the East of England region, for deaths registered between 2007 and 2011 (the latest year available).
	Venous thromboembolism may occur as a complication of other conditions such as cancer. In such cases the other condition may be specified as the underlying cause of death and venous thromboembolism shown elsewhere on the certificate. Table 2 provides the number of deaths where pulmonary embolism and/or deep vein thrombosis were mentioned anywhere on the death certificate, either as the underlying cause or as a contributory factor.
	It is not possible to provide the number of deaths from venous thromboembolism in each hospital trust area in the East of England as the information collected at death registration does not distinguish between the organisations managerially responsible for the patient's care. Although the name and address of the hospital where the death occurred is recorded at registration, the services provide at a single hospital site may be managed by several NHS Trusts or private contractors.
	
		
			 Table 1: Number of deaths where the underlying cause of death was venous thromboembolism, East of England, deaths registered between 2007 and 2011(1,2,3) 
			 Registration year Deaths 
			 2007 730 
			 2008 741 
			 2009 757 
			 2010 734 
			 2011 547 
			 (1) Cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes I80.1-I80.3, I80.9, I82.9, I26.0, I26.9: definitions of each of these causes are shown in Box 1. Deaths were included where one of the causes shown in Box 1 was the underlying cause of death. (2) Figures are based on boundaries correct as at February 2013 and exclude deaths of non-residents. (3) Figures are based on deaths registered, rather than deaths occurring in the years 2007-2011. Further information on registration delays for a range of causes can be found on the ONS website: www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/user-guidance/health-and-life-events/impact-of-registration-delays-on-mortality-statistics/index.html 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Number of deaths where venous thromboembolism was mentioned on the death certificate, East of England, deaths registered between 2007 and 2011(1,2,3) 
			 Registration year Deaths 
			 2007 1,378 
			 2008 1,331 
			 2009 1,405 
			 2010 1,436 
			 2011 1,382 
			 (1) Cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases. Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes I80.1-I80.3, I80.9, I82.9, I26.0, I26.9, definitions of each of these causes are shown in Box 1. Deaths were included where one or more of the causes shown in Box I were mentioned anywhere on the death certificate, either as the underlying cause or as a contributory factor. (2) Figures are based on boundaries correct as at February 2013 and exclude deaths of non-residents. (3 )Figures are based on deaths registered, rather than deaths occurring in the years 2007-2011. Further information on registration delays for a range of causes can be found on the ONS website: www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/user-guidance/health-and-life-events/impact-of-registration-delays-on-mortality-statistics/index.html 
		
	
	
		
			 Box 1: International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes used to define venous thromboembolism 
			 ICD code Cause 
			 I80.0 Phlebitis and thrombophlebitis of superficial vessels of lower extremities 
			 I80.1 Phlebitis and thrombophlebitis of femoral vein 
			 I80.2 Phlebitis and thrombophlebitis of other deep vessels of lower extremities 
			 I80.3 Phlebitis and thrombophlebitis of lower extremities, unspecified 
			 I80:9 Phlebitis and thrombophlebitis of unspecified site 
			 I89.9 Noninfective disorder of lymphatic vessels and lymph nodes, unspecified 
			 I26 Pulmonary embolism with mention of acute cor pulmonale 
			 I26.9 Pulmonary embolism without mention of acute cor pulmonale

Travel

Maria Eagle: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  how much his Department spent on ministerial travel by (a) Government Car Service, (b) private hire vehicles, (c) taxis, (d) rail, (e) aviation and (f) other means in each year of the current Parliament;
	(2)  what his Department's budget for ministerial travel for (a) the Government Car Service, (b) private hire vehicles, (c) taxis, (d) rail, (e) aviation and (f) other is for (i) 2013-14, (ii) 2014-15 and (iii) 2015-16.

Francis Maude: This Government has slashed the cost to the taxpayer of Government cars compared with the costs before the last general election.
	For details of how much my Department has spent on the Government Car Service, I refer the hon. Member to the information published in the annual written ministerial statement:
	2009/10
	http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmhansrd/cm101028/wmstext/101028m0001.htm#10102827000372
	2010/11
	http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201212/cmhansrd/cm120116/wmstext/120116m0001.htm#12011611000194
	2011/12
	http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmhansrd/cm121220/wmstext/121220m0001.htm#12122056000216
	Details of the costs for the Government Car Service for 2012-13 will be published in the normal way later this year.
	Records of other travel by my Department are categorised alongside other spend and are not held centrally. As was the case under previous administrations, the use of taxis in the Cabinet Office is only permitted in line with strict departmental guidance.
	The Cabinet Office publishes, on a quarterly basis, details of Cabinet Office Ministers' overseas travel.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office when he expects the new project assessment review for the universal credit programme will take place.

Francis Maude: The next Project Assessment Review for universal credit will take place during June 2013.

Legal Costs

Sadiq Khan: To ask the hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, how much the Church Commissioners spent on external legal advice from Queen's Counsel (a) between 7 May 2010 and 4 September 2012 and (b) since 4 September 2012.

Tony Baldry: The Church Commissioners do not keep itemised records relating to advice from Queen's counsel and estimate that to gather the information would incur disproportionate costs.

Conditions of Employment

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many officials in his Department are employed on zero hours contracts.

Norman Baker: There are 9 officials employed in the Department for Transport on zero-hour contracts. All are qualified type approval engineers.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Dan Byles: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the minimum acceptable distance between the High Speed 2 rail line and a school.

Simon Burns: A minimum acceptable distance between the High Speed 2 rail line and a school has not been assessed. However, we are aware of the potential adverse effects a railway can have on a school, especially noise. Suitable (noise) mitigation measures will be incorporated for schools located close to the HS2 line as has been the case with HS1.

London Midland

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment his Department has made of London Midland's recent performance.

Norman Baker: London Midland's performance for the most recent rail period represents its best for several months, with a PPM figure of 90.3%. However, the Department continues to monitor all aspects of the franchise closely to ensure that London Midland delivers the package of passenger benefits and service improvements announced by the Secretary of State for Transport, the right hon. Member for Derbyshire Dales (Mr McLoughlin), to the House on 20 December 2012, Official Report, columns 128-30WS.
	I have personally met with the managing director of the company to address performance issues and expect to do so again shortly. Though there are some encouraging signs of improved punctuality, the franchisee has much more to do to, including handling a significant backlog of correspondence from passengers affected by the disruption last year.

London, Tilbury and Southend Railway Line

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the estimated level of (a) public subsidy, (b) premium payments and (c) revenue support will be during the contract extension to September 2014 agreed between his Department and c2c Rail Ltd for rail passenger services on the Essex Thameside line. [Official Report, 25 June 2013, Vol. 565, c. 3-4MC.]

Simon Burns: Contracted subsidy for the interim franchise agreement is c.£2.4 million. A profit share mechanism in place, which will capture any outperformance in revenue, thereby lowering subsidy requirement. Subsidy and premium payments are published regularly on the Office of Rail Regulation website.

Railways: EU Action

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he and his officials have had regarding the Fourth Railway Package with (a) the European Commission and (b) other Government Departments.

Simon Burns: The Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Derbyshire Dales (Mr McLoughlin) and his official have held a number of recent meetings with the Commission and other Government Departments regarding the Fourth Railway Package to inform our UK position.

Afghanistan

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many instances of child abuse by Afghan security forces have been reported by (a) UK armed forces and (b) the International Security Assistance Force since 2001;
	(2)  how many meetings have been held between the UK and Afghan governments to discuss child abuse by the Afghan security forces in the last three years.

Andrew Robathan: The Ministry of Defence does not hold information on allegations of misconduct committed by the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), whether reported by UK armed forces or other International Security Assistance Force partners, in the format requested.
	Incidents of misconduct relating to ANSF personnel are treated very seriously by the UK. Any serious incident of misconduct by the ANSF witnessed by or alleged to UK Armed Forces in Afghanistan, whatever the nature of the offence, is reported back to the UK Permanent Joint Headquarters. Our forces in Afghanistan will engage with the ANSF on every allegation and encourage them to conduct their own investigation and take appropriate follow-on action unless it is explicitly disproved.

Defence Equipment and Support

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions (a) he and (b) officials in his Department have had with the US Administration on the proposal to establish a government-owned, contractor-operated (GOCO) organisation to replace Defence Equipment and Support.

Philip Dunne: holding answer 13 May 2013
	Engagement with the US on the future of Defence Equipment and Support has been ongoing at ministerial and official levels since the materiel strategy programme began.
	Last month I met Frank Kendall, the US National Armaments Director, to discuss the future of DE&S, and Bernard Gray, the Chief of Defence Materiel, has met him numerous times over the past year as part of a comprehensive engagement plan. In addition my team have been working closely with the taskforce established to consider the materiel strategy with us. We will continue to engage at all levels as the assessment phase of the programme develops.
	I remain confident that we will continue to have a close and harmonious defence acquisition relationship with the US as we have had for decades.

Defence Munitions Longtown

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the security of transporting munitions by train from Defence Munitions, Longtown;
	(2)  how much his Department has spent on transporting munitions from Defence Munitions Longtown since the theft of munitions in October 2012.

Philip Dunne: As a result of the theft of Barmines from a train in Warrington on 25 October 2012 a detailed and wide-ranging review of the procedures for transporting munitions was initiated. This work is ongoing. Immediately after the theft and pending the outcome of the review, Defence Equipment and Support stopped all rail movement of munitions and imposed tighter central control and enhanced security requirements on all road movement of munitions.
	Information on the cost of transporting munitions from Defence Munitions Longtown is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The Ministry of Defence continues to transport munitions to meet all of its operational commitments and there has been no impact on our support to operations in Afghanistan.

European Union

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his Department’s top priorities are for changing the UK’s relationship with the EU.

Andrew Murrison: As the Prime Minister made clear in his January speech on Europe, the European Union (EU) needs to change both to deliver prosperity and to retain the support of its peoples. The Government is committed to help shape the future of a more competitive, flexible and democratically accountable EU.
	The Government is currently carrying out the Balance of Competence Review, which is an evidence-based, objective analysis of what EU membership means for the UK and our national interest. Reports will not produce recommendations but will look at the impact of the EU in areas of EU policy.
	The EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) will be debated for the first time since 2008 at the European Council in December 2013. The discussion will be a key opportunity to help shape the development of the CSDP and the UK’s role within the EU in a defence context.
	The UK’s priorities for the Council are to focus CSDP on the comprehensive approach and complementarity with NATO, to improve cost-effectiveness and operational delivery, to enhance capabilities that benefit both NATO and the EU, and for this to be underpinned by a strengthened defence industrial base that will help boost longer term competitiveness and economic growth.

Sign Language

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the equality of access available for deaf people whose first language is British Sign Language in communicating with (a) the armed forces and (b) the agencies and public bodies which support his Department; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what specific measures his Department has in place to ensure that deaf people have the opportunity to communicate in British Sign Language with (a) the armed forces and (b) the agencies and public bodies for which he is responsible.

Mark Francois: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is an equal opportunities employer and has a legal obligation to provide reasonable adjustments for disabled staff, including the deaf, to enable them to maximise their potential and work as effectively as possible on an equal basis with their colleagues.
	We provide policy guidance for disabled staff and their managers to identify what adjustments need to be made, whether those adjustments are reasonable and to comply with relevant legislation. In the case of deaf employees, this could range from the provision of a full-time interpreter to the training of a work colleague to enable such support.
	When visitor(s) notify us they suffer deafness, the MOD will provide a British Sign Language interpreter.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what external legal advice he has commissioned to ensure that the provision of locational intelligence to facilitate unmanned aerial vehicle strikes by third parties is consistent with customary international law.

Andrew Robathan: It has been the long-standing policy of successive governments not to comment on intelligence matters.

Children in Care: Coastal Areas

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many and what proportion of children are looked after in each of the principle seaside towns of England.

Edward Timpson: The number and proportion of children who are looked after by each local authority in England has been placed in the House Libraries. Information at individual town level is not available.

Children: Poverty

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the recent report from the British Medical Association, Growing Up in the UK, on the effects of austerity on child poverty.

David Laws: The Government has read the British Medical Association's report with interest. We are committed to ending child poverty and to the provisions of the Child Poverty Act 2010. Improving health outcomes and reducing health inequalities are key to ensuring that people are able to escape poverty, and poor health is one of the root causes of poverty.
	We recognise that a sustainable approach to tackling child poverty needs to address many factors such as worklessness, health; educational failure and family stability. Our strategy to improve life chances includes improving health outcomes and reducing health inequalities through the provision of more effective NHS, public health and social care services, from conception onwards across the life course.

Children: Social Services

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many directors of children's services in England earn more than £150,000 a year.

Edward Timpson: The Department does not hold information on the salaries of directors of children's services and to collect and provide this information would incur disproportionate costs.

Class Sizes: Corby

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the average class size was in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in Corby constituency in each of the last three years.

David Laws: Data on class sizes in state-funded primary and secondary schools in England is published as part of the annual Statistical First Release 'Schools, Pupils and their Characteristics'. The latest data is for January 2012 and is available on the government's website:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2012
	This information is also available on the Department's website:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/inyourarea/results/nat_921_pcons_10.shtml
	The information requested is given in the following table:
	
		
			 State-funded primary and secondary schools(1, 2, 3, 4, 5): Classes as taught(6) January 2010-12. In Corby parliamentary constituency 
			  2010 2011 2012 
			  State-funded primary(1, 2) State-funded secondary(1, 3) State-funded primary(1,2) State-funded secondary(1, 3) State-funded primary(1, 4) State-funded secondary(1, 5) 
			 Average class size 25.1 19.8 25.6 20.8 25.7 20.2 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes primary academies. (3) Includes city technology colleges and secondary academies (including all-through academies). (4) Includes primary academies and free schools. (5) Includes city technology colleges, secondary academies/free schools (including all-through academies/free schools). (6) One teacher classes as taught during a single selected period in each school on the day of the census in January. Source: School Census

Government Procurement Card

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education with reference to the answer of 22 April 2013, Official Report, column 688W, on government procurement card, how many transactions were made by each member of staff; for what reasons; at what cost; and on which dates in each of the last two financial years.

Elizabeth Truss: I have written to the hon. Member in response to his recent request under the Freedom of Information Act, providing details of the transactions in question.

Schools: Drugs

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether his Department plans to publish updated guidance on managing medicines in schools.

David Laws: The Government's guidance 'Managing Medicines in Schools and Early Years Settings' is currently under review. Our intention is to publish the updated guidance later in the year.

Schools: Sports

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the effects of funding for school sports on children’s physical activity levels in each of the last three years.

Edward Timpson: The Department does not collect data on the effects of funding for school sports on children’s physical activity levels. Data relating to sports participation is measured by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s “Taking Part” survey and Sport England’s “Active People” survey.

Sign Language

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the equality of access available for deaf people whose first language is British Sign Language in communicating with (a) teachers and educational establishments and (b) the agencies and public bodies which support his Department; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what steps his Department has taken to ensure that deaf children have the opportunity to be taught in British Sign Language;
	(3)  what steps his Department has taken to ensure that (a) the families of deaf children and (b) all children have the opportunity to learn British Sign Language;
	(4)  what specific measures his Department has in place to ensure that deaf people have the opportunity to communicate in British Sign Language with (a) teachers and educational establishments and (b) the agencies and public bodies for which he is responsible.

Edward Timpson: All public bodies, including schools, early years providers, post-16 institutions and local authorities, have duties towards disabled people, including those who are deaf and use British Sign Language (BSL), under the Equality Act 2010 and the Public Sector Equality Duty. The Department publishes guidance for schools on these duties.(1)
	Schools and local authorities have the main responsibilities for ensuring support is available to deaf children, including sign language support.
	The Children and Families Bill will introduce a single Education, Health and Care Plan which links up the support for a child with special educational needs. It will also give parents more of a say in the school their child attends and will require local authorities to set out a 'local offer' of the support that is available. It will encourage a more joined-up approach to supporting deaf children and the provision of clearer information on the support that families can expect locally. The Bill will introduce the option of a personal budget for some parents and young people, which will give them more control over the support they receive.
	This year the Department for Education (DFE) has awarded a number of grants and contracts to the voluntary and community sector for the support of deaf children. These include:
	1. A grant to the National Deaf Children's Society to deliver the I-Sign project, which aims to skill up the BSL workforce by providing training and new qualifications to meet existing demand.
	2. A contract to the National Sensory Impairment Partnership to provide information, advice, support and training to specialist services in order to improve outcomes for children and young people with a sensory impairment.
	3. Through the SEN support scholarship fund, we are encouraging support staff to apply for funding to undertake high-level qualifications which enhance their ability to support the teaching and learning of pupils with SEN and disabilities.
	(1) http://education.gov.uk/aboutdfe/advice/f00215460/equality-act-2010-departmental-advice

Special Educational Needs

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  with reference to the Seventieth Report of the Committee of Public Accounts, Session 2010-12, HC 1636, what progress his Department has made in responding to the recommendations contained in that report on the cost and outcome analysis of high-needs provision for 16 to 25-year-olds; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  with reference to the National Audit Office Report, Oversight of special education for young people aged 16 to 25-years-old, Session 2010-12, HC 1585, what progress his Department has made in collating comparable data on disability types and severity and student outcomes to understand and provide evidence for longer-term value-for-money criteria for post-16 specialist education; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Timpson: Since the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report, the Department has implemented a new approach to funding education and support for high needs pupils, including those aged 16 to 25.
	The new system places greater responsibility on local authorities for commissioning and funding high needs provision. Local authorities are best placed to consider the comparative value for money of different types of provision and which is likely to deliver the best outcomes for individual young people. Local authorities will consider this as part of agreeing young peoples' learning difficulty assessments and, in the future, the new Education, Health and Care Plans.
	In response to the recommendations of the PAC on high needs provision, the Department accepted that clear information about special educational needs (SEN) funding should be published. The Department is working with Business Innovation and Skills (BIS), the Department of Health and other partners to agree definitions of learning difficulty and disability types, so as to improve comparability of data across sectors. Data standards have been developed and have been approved by the Information Standards Board for use across education, skills and children's service.
	The Department is widening its published Destinations Measures so that we can provide information on destinations for pupils with SEN at KS4 in summer 2013. I intend to publish destination data for students with SEN at KS5 later this year, at national, local and institutional level where data sets allow. We currently only consider attainment at level 3 in Destinations Measures although we intend to explore including level 1 and 2 in the future.

Special Educational Needs

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what guidance his Department provides to local authorities on the financial considerations to be made in commissioning placements in specialist colleges;
	(2)  what comparison his Department has made between the social return of investment for post-16 specialist college provision for high-needs students and that for other provision; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what assessment his Department has made of the (a) long-term comparative costs, (b) value for money and (c) outcomes between (i) specialist college provision and (ii) other provision for high-needs students; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Timpson: I welcome the diversity of provision available to young people with learning difficulties and disabilities, and have acted to ensure that an appropriate and affordable choice of providers will continue to be available to those young people.
	My Department has not made comparisons between the different types of provision for high needs. However, the National Audit Office report “Oversight of special education for young people aged 16 to 25-years-old” published in November 2011 considered overall provision and comparison of totality of costs. This took account of the costs to both health and social care services, as well as education, in supporting a young person in different types of education provision. This is an important part of the process in making decisions about the comparative value for money of types of provision, and I expect local authorities to consider this in drawing up Learning Difficulty Assessments (LDA) and, in the future, the new 0 to 25 Education, Health and Care Plans proposed in legislation currently before Parliament.
	Local authorities have a duty to secure enough suitable education and training to meet the reasonable needs of students aged 16 to 18, or 19 to 24, where the student is subject to a LDA. Local authorities are best placed to decide which provision is likely to deliver the best value for money on a case by case basis.
	From the start of the academic year 2013 to 2014 all institutions, including independent specialist colleges, will be funded in the same way for high needs students. This will enable future comparisons on costs, outcomes and value for money to be made.
	My Department has listened to issues raised by institutions and local authorities on implementation of the high needs students funding reform, and in March wrote to independent specialist colleges to inform them of plans to offer a level of protection over the next two academic years.
	Our operational guidance says that local authorities must work with independent specialist colleges to confirm rates of top-up funding and suggests ways to work jointly in setting rates and developing banded funding frameworks. An important condition of the Dedicated Schools Grant is that continuity of provision must be preserved for young people who have already started a course and who will continue it, for example into a further academic year, from September 2013.

Teachers: Training

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many School Direct places initially allocated have been returned to his Department.

David Laws: 9,441 Initial Teacher Training (ITT) places were initially allocated to schools via the School Direct programme to start in academic year 2013 to 2014.(1) The National College for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL)'s timetable for the publication of School Direct ITT places is in two stages: when initial allocations are made and as soon as possible after the academic year begins in August.
	The NCTL do not publish or supply details of changes between initial and final allocations as NCTL is working with schools to respond to change requests and finalise allocations. The information requested could therefore be compiled only at disproportionate cost.
	(1) ITT places for School Direct for the academic year 2013 to 2014 can be found at the following link:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/careers/traininganddevelopment/initial/b00204256/itt-funding-and-allocations/allocations

Travel

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many officials in (a) his Department and (b) the non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible claimed reimbursement for travel subsistence expenses in each of the last five years; what the total cost was of such claims; and what the monetary value was of the 20 highest subsistence claims in each such year.

Elizabeth Truss: The number of officials in the Department and its executive agencies who claimed reimbursement for travel subsistence, and the cost of those claims, are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Financial period 
			  2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13(1) 
			 Number 876 725 950 1,792 
			 Total Amount of Travel Subsistence Reimbursed (£) 91,076.13 103,154.38 153,410.78 342,167.92 
			 Combined Value of Top 20 Subsistence Claims (£) 9,192.62 6,917.61 6,911.94 13,507.77 
			 (1) November to March. 
		
	
	The Department moved to a new financial system in November 2009. Data before that date could be obtained only at disproportionate cost
	The Department's arm’s length body reform programme involved the creation of four executive agencies from October 2010, and the closure of a number of non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs). The transfer of functions and staff from these NDPBs to the core Department is reflected in the rise in the value and number of claims made in 2011-12 and 2012-13. Data for the financial years 2011-12 and 2012-13 are therefore not comparable with each other or with data for earlier years. Data for the closed NDPBs is not readily available and also could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	Data for the NDPBs which remain, the Office of the Children's Commissioner, and The Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS), is not held by the Department.

Travel

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much his Department spent on ministerial travel by (a) Government Car Service, (b) private hire vehicles, (c) taxis, (d) rail, (e) aviation and (f) other means in each year of the current parliament.

Elizabeth Truss: This Government has slashed the cost to the taxpayer of government cars compared with the costs before the last general election.
	For details of how much the Department has spent on the Government Car Service, I refer the hon. Member to the information published in the annual written ministerial statement, which can be found in the House Libraries.
	2009/10:
	http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmhansrd/cm101028/wmstext/101028m0001.htm#10102827000372
	2010/11:
	http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201212/cmhansrd/cm120116/wmstext/120116m0001.htm#12011611000194
	2011/12:
	http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmhansrd/cm121220/wmstext/121220m0001.htm#12122056000216
	Details of the costs for the Government Car Service for 2012/13 will be published in the normal way later this year.
	Records of other departmental travel are categorised alongside other spending and are not held centrally.

UK Membership of EU

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his Department’s top priorities are for changing the UK’s relationship with the EU.

Elizabeth Truss: As the Prime Minister’s speech on Europe in January this year made clear, the EU needs to change both to deliver prosperity and to retain the support of its peoples. The Government is committed to help shape the future of a more competitive, flexible and democratically accountable European Union, with Britain playing a leading role at the heart of the Single Market.
	The Government is currently carrying out the Balance of Competence Review which is an evidence-based and objective analysis of what EU membership means for the UK and our national interest. Reports will not produce recommendations but will look at the impact of the EU in the areas of EU policy. The Department for Education will launch a consultation on EU education competence issues and report in 2014.

Vocational Training

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to encourage schools to work with local employers in developing vocational skills needed for the local economy.

Matthew Hancock: The government's focus has been to reform post-16 vocational education in line with Alison Wolfs recommendations. The introduction of 16-19 Study programmes will lead to a significant expansion in the provision of work experience and work-related learning for all students undertaking vocational education. The Government are working with the UK Commission for Employment and Skills and other employer organisations to secure employer commitment to increasing the supply of high quality work experience places and to greater employer involvement in post-16 education.
	The Government takes the development of young people's skills for employment very seriously and recognises that it is important to allow headteachers the freedom to respond to the needs of their pupils and the local economy.

Chronic Illnesses: Employment

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department takes to encourage employers to hire and retain staff who have (a) myalgic encephalomyelitis, (b) multiple sclerosis, (c) Parkinson's disease and (d) other long-term conditions.

Esther McVey: Jobcentre Plus is committed to helping people to find a suitable job in their local area through its network of advisers.
	Where customers with long-term conditions need extra support to find or retain work the local Jobcentre Plus office can refer them to a Disability Employment Adviser, who can provide support and advice in finding or staying in employment, including sourcing suitable job opportunities, advocating on their behalf with employers, and using the professional expertise of occupational psychologists specialising in working with disabled people. They will also be able to advise them about specialised support available for disabled people;
	In addition they can refer individuals to appropriate employment provision including:
	Work programme
	The Government recognises that many customers have complex disability-related barriers to work and may require specialist support. We know a proportion of people with long-term conditions will also have marginal or no specialist support needs. Therefore, in practice many people with long-term conditions will be served through our mainstream employment provision.
	Work Choice
	Provides tailored support to help disabled people who face the most complex barriers to employment, find and stay in work and ultimately help them progress into unsupported employment, where it is appropriate for the individual. Work Choice is voluntary and available regardless of any benefits being claimed. Work Choice can provide an indefinite period of support once the customer is in work, unlike mainstream employment provision. This is in recognition of the fact that some Work Choice participants may need ongoing support to overcome barriers in work that cannot be met through normal workplace adjustments.
	Access to Work
	Provides additional support for individuals whose health or disability affects the way they do their job. It provides individuals and their employers with advice and support with extra costs which may arise because of an individual's needs. The type of support Access to Work provides can include; support workers, awareness training for colleagues and counselling.
	Employer engagement
	A key element in reducing the disability employment gap is through working with employers to identify and support them in removing barriers to recruiting and retaining disabled people in their work force. In addition to existing employer engagement activities the Department is currently developing a new disability employment strategy to progress further in this area.

Credit Unions

Guy Opperman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps the Government is taking to support credit unions.

Steve Webb: DWP is providing funds of up to £38 million to support credit unions. A contract has been awarded to the Association of British Credit Unions Ltd.
	This will support participating credit unions to become financially sustainable while offering an increased range of financial services to a million more consumers.
	HMT has published a consultation document to seek views from the sector on an increase in the interest rate cap that credit unions can currently charge from 2 to 3%. The consultation period is now complete and HMT are considering the responses received, and plan to publish a Government response in the summer.

Housing Benefit

Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how the potential for evictions was taken into account in the formulation of the housing benefit under-occupancy penalty.

Steve Webb: The Government does not accept that evictions and homelessness will increase as a result of this measure. In addition, the changes do not necessarily mean that people will need to move, but claimants who live in homes that are larger than they require must make the same choices about affordability as those not on benefit.
	When formulating this policy, the Department for Work and Pensions held discussions with both the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) and the Chartered Institute of Housing. DCLG continue to work with the National Homelessness Advice Service to ensure front-line advice workers have the support they need to tackle homelessness effectively. Protections for people at risk of homelessness continue to remain in place through the statutory homelessness duties on local authorities.
	Reforming the welfare system in an effective manner is necessary to not only improve the wider fiscal position but also to help get people off benefits and into work, although it is recognised that the transition for some may be difficult.
	At this current time, how claimants will react is not known. Some may decide to move into work, some may move to smaller accommodation, increase working hours or take in a lodger. It is for individual claimants to determine what the best approach is for them. The measure will, however, be evaluated and monitored over the next two years with an initial report due in 2014 and the final report due in 2015.

Housing Benefit: Disability

Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions he or officials of his Department held with groups representing the interests of disabled people when formulating policy on the under-occupancy penalty.

Steve Webb: Ministers and departmental officials have met and continue to meet on a regular basis, with representatives from a range of charitable and voluntary organisations to discuss various aspects of the Government’s plans for welfare reform, including details of the removal of the spare room subsidy for social tenants.
	During the development of the measure to remove the spare room subsidy, officials from the Department for Work and Pensions met with charitable and voluntary organisations to discuss the emerging policy.

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the under-occupancy penalty is not wrongly applied to tenants of social housing.

Steve Webb: Local authorities have a legal obligation to ensure legislation is correctly applied.
	To help local authorities discharge their statutory duty the Department for Work and Pensions provided guidance as to how local authority staff should apply the size criteria rules, including model letters and leaflets to aid local authorities in publicising the removal of the spare room subsidy. Advice as to how claimants should be contacted has also been issued and general information is available on the DWP website.
	In addition local authorities gather information as to the number of bedrooms a property has from social landlords, prior to comparing this to household size. Where a claimant is potentially under occupying, the local authority will write to them to confirm that the information held for their household is correct.

Inflation

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the purposes for which his Department uses (a) the retail price index measure of inflation, (b) the consumer price index measure of inflation and (c) any alternative measure of inflation.

Steve Webb: The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) uses the consumer prices index (CPI) as the measure of prices in the up-rating of various social security benefits and pensions. This information is published alongside the Budget each year in Annex A of the Policy Costings document. For Budget 13, this is available online via the following link:
	http://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/188367/budget2013_policy_costings.pdf.pdf
	Not all social, security benefits and pensions are up-rated by reference to prices inflation. For example, this Government has legislated to restore the up-rating of basic state pension by at least the growth in average earnings. We have also gone further, in our 'triple lock' commitment to up-rate the basic state pension by the highest of prices (measured by CPI), earnings or 2.5%.
	The CPI is also used for the statutory minimum increases in certain occupational pensions and for increases in Pension Protection Fund compensation and assistance from the Financial Assistance Scheme.
	The CPI is used in the context of the employer duties under the workplace pension reforms. It is used as part of the minimum quality requirement for qualifying schemes providing average salary benefits. It is also one of the specified factors that the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions may take into account when considering whether any of the earnings trigger or the qualifying earnings band for automatic enrolment should be increased or decreased.
	The CPI is used in most benefits and pensions expenditure forecasting by the DWP, produced on behalf of the Office for Budget Responsibility. The exceptions are (i) where benefits are up-rated using average earnings; and (ii) also the forecasting of some aspects of housing benefit expenditure using the retail prices index (RPI), to reflect how social rents are up-rated. The GDP deflator is used to convert expenditure to constant price terms, in line with general Government practice.
	DWP statistical publications “Households Below Average Income” (HBAI), “Family Resources Survey” (FRS) and “Pensioners' Incomes Series” (PI), use variants of the RPI. DWP officials plan to engage with users of the HBAI, FRS and PI data and publications during summer 2013, to explore whether the adoption of an alternative index would be appropriate, taking into account user needs, data availability and methodological issues.
	The model for DWP Commercial contracts has a standard ‘Term and Condition’ which requires that any increase in the contract price shall not exceed the percentage change in the ONS' CPI. A very small number of commercial contracts—that were let prior to this specification of CPI—continue with alternative indexation arrangements (using RPI) and these will be removed when these are re-let in the future.

Jobcentre Plus

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the answer of 22 April 2013, Official Report, column 703W, on jobcentre plus: digital exclusion, how many jobcentres identify or define vulnerable customers.

Mark Hoban: All Jobcentre Plus staff who deal directly with our claimants have received guidance and training on how to identify those who may be vulnerable or in a vulnerable situation.
	Guidance also explains the support that is available to help those claimants who may have additional needs and require help to access our services.

Mesothelioma: Compensation

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how much the Government has spent on compensation for mesothelioma sufferers and their dependents in each year since 2008;
	(2)  how much he estimates his Department will spend in each of the next five years on compensating mesothelioma sufferers.

Mark Hoban: The Government provides compensation payments in relation to certain dust-related diseases through both the Pneumoconiosis etc. (Workers' Compensation) Act 1979 and the 2008 mesothelioma scheme (set up under the Child Maintenance and Other Payments Act 2008).
	Payments under the Pneumoconiosis etc. (Workers' Compensation) Act 1979 can be made for a number of dust-related diseases—including mesothelioma—where the disease has been contracted through work.
	Payments under the 2008 mesothelioma scheme are made in respect of mesothelioma only—however a person does not have to contract the disease through work to obtain a payment under this scheme.
	Recoveries of payments are made to the Department from any compensation received as a result of a successful civil damages claim.
	The amounts spent, and recovered, in respect of mesothelioma are in Table 1 as follows.
	
		
			 Table 1 
			 £ millions 
			  Expenditure Recoveries Net 
			 1979 Scheme (mesothelioma)    
			 2008-09 23 -4 19 
			 2009-10 26 -12 14 
			 2010-11 27 -13 14 
			 2011-12 28 -15 13 
			 2012-13 32 n/a n/a 
			     
			 2008 Scheme    
			 2008-09 6 0 5 
			 2009-10 7 -1 6 
			 2010-11 9 -3 6 
			 2011-12 9 -4 6 
			 2012-13 10 -4 6 
			 Notes: 1. Numbers are rounded to the nearest £ million. 2. n/a = the figure for recoveries in 2012-13 are currently not available. 
		
	
	The estimated amounts to be spent under both schemes in respect of mesothelioma are in Table 2 as follows.
	
		
			 Table 2 
			 £ millions 
			  Expenditure Recoveries Net 
			 1979 Scheme (mesothelioma)    
			 2013-14 31 n/a n/a 
			 2014-15 32 n/a n/a 
			 2015-16 33 n/a n/a 
			 2016/17 34 n/a n/a 
			 2017-18 34 n/a n/a 
			     
			 2008 Scheme    
			 2013-14 10 -4 6 
			 2014-15 10 -4 6 
			 2015-16 10 -4 6 
			 2016-17 10 -4 6 
			 2017-18 10 -4 6 
			 Notes: 1. Numbers are rounded to the nearest million 2. n/a = recovery expenditure forecasts for the 79 Act scheme are only available for the full scheme and not broken down into different components—such as mesothelioma. 
		
	
	The Government is planning to do even more for those who suffer from mesothelioma through the introduction of the Mesothelioma Support Scheme Bill which is currently going through Parliament. The Impact Assessment that was published alongside this Bill details the forecast expenditure of the planned Mesothelioma Support Scheme.
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/185025/elci-compensation-meso-ia.pdf

New Enterprise Allowance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he plans to make of the sustainability of businesses started with the help of the new enterprise allowance.

Mark Hoban: The department will be publishing statistics in the coming months which tracks the benefit outcomes for a cohort of new enterprise allowance participants. This paper will provide data on proportion of new enterprise allowance participants who have remained off, or returned to, benefit in the year following new enterprise allowance start. This provides a proxy measure of the sustainability of businesses started under the scheme.

Pensioners: Social Security Benefits

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his Department's estimate is of the number of pensioners who have not taken-up income-related benefits in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and (c) 2011-12.

Steve Webb: The most recent estimates of take-up cover the period 2009-10. Figures for the number of pensioners entitled to but not receiving income related benefits in Great Britain in 2009-10 are presented in the following tables. Estimates of take-up are not available for 2010-11 or 2011-12.
	
		
			 Caseload take up for pension credit, Great Britain, 2009-10 
			  2009-10 
			 Range of entitled non recipients (Thousands) 1,210 - 1,580 
			 Take up ranges (Percentages) 62 - 68 
		
	
	
		
			 Caseload take up for housing benefit, pensioners, Great Britain, 2009-10 
			  2009-10 
			 Range of entitled non recipients (Thousands) 240 - 390 
			 Take up ranges (Percentages) 79 - 86 
		
	
	
		
			 Caseload take-up for council tax benefit, pensioners, Great Britain, 2009-10 
			  2009-10 
			 Range of entitled non-recipients (Thousands) 1,690 - 2,230 
			 Take-up ranges (Percentages) 54 - 61 
		
	
	The income related benefits: Estimates of take-up report covers Great Britain for the financial year 2009-10. It provides caseload and expenditure estimates of take-up for income support and employment and support allowance (income-related), pension credit, housing benefit (including local housing allowance), council tax benefit and jobseeker's allowance (income-based). The latest release updates the statistics previously released on 10 June 2010. The figures are available online and can be found here:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=irb

Personal Independence Payment

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make it his policy to allow people who have hearing loss and who are participating in the personal independence payment pilots to write to, email or text officials to request a paper form; what assessment he has made of the accessibility of the claim process for young people with hearing loss; and if he will make a statement.

Esther McVey: We provide a textphone facility for people with hearing loss who cannot make a PIP claim by telephone. We will also accept telephone claims from people acting on behalf of the claimant and where they have no one to provide this support, claimants can request a paper version of the PIP claim form in writing from a DWP PO Box address.
	We are committed to enabling communication with claimants who are deaf or hard of hearing. We have standard processes in place to support deaf people, and a range of guidance to help staff to understand the help required and support available through alternative formats.
	The introduction of PIP offers an opportunity to work towards redesigning business processes and facilitate a move to digital options in the future, including the ability for claimants to request a form by e-mail.

Regulation

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what processes his Department has put in place to (a) monitor, (b) collate cost information on, (c) review and (d) respond to requests to amend or revoke regulations introduced by his Department;
	(2)  what the title was of each set of regulations introduced by his Department in each month since May 2010; and which of those regulations have been (a) subject to the (i) one in one out and (ii) one in two out procedure and (b) (i) revoked and (ii) amended;
	(3)  if he will provide the estimated cost of each regulation introduced by his Department since May 2010; and what the estimated benefits of each regulation (a) amended and (b) revoked were.

Mark Hoban: The process for monitoring and collating cost information on amendments to statutory instruments and revocations is through the Government’s Statement of New Regulation (SNR).
	There have been five Statements of Regulation, since the first published in April 2011. They list new regulations coming into force from 1 January 2011, and their impact under One-In, One-Out. From January 2013, the statements capture the effect of new regulation under the new One-In, Two-Out system. The Department complies with the process by contributing to the Government’s statements and separately publishing its new measures including Health and Safety Executive (HSE) measures (from January 2012) in its own statements (publications are now available on gov.uk).
	My Department has reviewed and responded to requests to amend or revoke regulations through the Red Tape Challenge:
	www.redtapechallenge.cabinetoffice.gov.uk
	For health and safety regulations, through the Government’s response to Lord Young’s review of health and safety laws “Common Sense, Common Safety”; the Government’s health and safety reform programme, “Good Health and Safety, Good for Everyone” and the Löfstedt Review: “Reclaiming health and safety for all: An independent review of health and safety legislation”.
	Regulations in scope for One-In, One-Out or One-In, Two-Out, including HSE measures, are listed in the following table, including the cost information that is available.
	
		
			 Impact assessment number Title of legislation Equivalent annual net cost to business (£ million) SNR report 
			 DWP0014 Pensions Act 2011—occupational pension scheme indexation https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/cpi-as-the-measure-of-price-increases-on-private-sector-occupational-pension-schemes -3,342.00 SNR1 
			 HSE0051 The Health and Safety at Work etc Act (Application Outside Great Britain) (Variation) Order 2011(1 )http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2011/745/made 0.00 SNR1 
			 DWP0018 Occupational Pensions Schemes (Employer Debt and Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2011 http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2011/2973/contents/made -27.00 SNR2 
			 DWP0015 The Pensions Act 2007 (Abolition of Contracting-out for Defined Contribution Pension Schemes) (Consequential Amendments) (No. 2) Regulations 2011 http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2011/1724/contents/made -5.26 SNR3 
			 HSE0062 The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences (Amendment) Regulations 2012 http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2012/199/made http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2012/199/pdfs/uksifia_20120199_en.pdf -0.24 SNR3 
			 HSE0067 The Identification and Traceability of Explosives (Amendment) Regulations 2012(2)( )http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2012/638/made http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2012/638/pdfs/uksifia_20120638_en.pdf -0.04 SNR3 
			 DWP001b Pensions Act 2011—Workplace Pensions Reform https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/workplace-pension-reform-summary-of-net-impact-on-business-july-2012 2,820.00 SNR4 
			 DW0005 The Automatic Enrolment (Offshore Employment) Order 2012 http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2012/1388/contents/made 19.00 SNR4 
			 DWP0005a The Pensions Act 2008 (Commencement No. 14 and Supplementary Provisions) Order 2012–Removal of stakeholder designation requirements http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2012/2480/resources -0.40 SNR4 
			 DWP0026 The Occupational and Personal Pension Schemes (Automatic Enrolment) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2012 http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2012/1477/contents/made -7.40 SNR4 
			 DWP0027 The Employers' Duties (Implementation) (Amendment) Regulations 2012 http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2012/1813/contents/made -137.00 SNR4 
			 DWP0024a The Occupational Pension Schemes (Disclosure of Information) (Amendment) Regulations 2012 http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2012/1811/contents/made 0.00 SNR4 
			 DWP0013 The Child Support Maintenance Calculation Regulations 2012 http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2012/2677/contents/made 0.10 SNR4 
			 DWP0025 The Child Support (Meaning of Child and New Calculation Rules) (Consequential and Miscellaneous Amendment) Regulations 2012 http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2012/2785/contents/made -0.80 SNR4 
			 DWP0021 The Social Security (Overpayments and Recovery) Regulations 2013 http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2013/384/contents/made 0.00 SNR5 
			 DWP0033 The Occupational and Stakeholder Pension Schemes (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2013 http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2013/459/resources 0.00 SNR5 
			 DWP0036 The Occupational and Stakeholder Pension Schemes (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2013 http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2013/459/resources 0.00 SNR5 
			 DWP0037 The National Employment Savings Trust (Amendment) Order 2013 http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2013/597/contents/made 0.00 SNR5 
			 HSE0068 Health and Safety at Work etc. Act (Application Outside Great Britain) Order 2013 http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2013/240/made http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2013/240/pdfs/uksifia_20130240_en.pdf 0.00 SNR5 
			 HSE0069 Health and Safety (Miscellaneous Repeals, Revocations and Amendment) Regulations 2013 http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2013/448/made -0.09 SNR5 
			 HSE0073 Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (ERR) Bill—Strict Liability Amendments http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2013/24/section/69/enacted http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/corporate/docs/s/12-1219-strict-liability-health-safety-at-work-impact 0.00 SNR5 
			 (1) Revoked by HSE0068—The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (Application outside Great Britain) Order 2013 http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2013/240/made (2) Revoked by the Identification and Traceability of Explosives Regulations 2013 http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2013/449/made (out of scope of OITO). Further, HSE0074: Amendment to Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981 was listed in SNR5 but has been delayed until the Sixth Statement of New Regulation (due to be published in the summer).

Remploy

Gordon Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many bids he has received for the Remploy marine textiles division to date.

Esther McVey: I am unable to state how many bids were received for the Marine Textile business as this information is commercially confidential and Remploy does not disclose it.

Social Fund

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was awarded by his Department in social fund payments to each English local authority in 2011-12.

Steve Webb: A table providing the amount awarded for Community Care Grants, Crisis Loans and Budgeting Loans in each lower tier local authority in England in 2011-12 will be placed in the Library.
	Data for the regulated Social Fund (funeral payments, cold weather payments and sure start maternity grants) is not available at local authority level.

Social Security Benefits

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much the Government has spent on welfare in (a) current prices and (b) real terms in respect of (i) pensions, (ii) disability benefits, (iii) unemployment benefits, (iv) lone parent benefits, (v) widowhood benefits and (vi) other benefit disbursements in each year since 1997.

Mark Hoban: The information requested is published and can be found at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/index.php?page=expenditure
	GB expenditure data can be found in the link labelled “Tables from 1948-49 to 2017-18”.
	Table 1a shows GB expenditure by DWP benefit in nominal terms and Table 1b shows GB expenditure by DWP benefit in real terms (2013-14 prices). More detailed benefit expenditure information can be found in the individually labelled tabs in this publication.

Social Security Benefits: Stafford

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people were claiming (a) jobseeker's allowance, (b) employment and support allowance, (c) incapacity benefit, (d) lone parents allowance, (e) carer's allowance and (f) other out-of-work benefits in Stafford constituency in (i) the most recent month in 2013 for which data is available and (ii) the corresponding month in each of the last 10 years.

Mark Hoban: Statistics on the number of people in the Stafford constituency who received (a) jobseeker's allowance, (b) employment and support allowance, (c) incapacity benefit, (d) lone parents, (e) carer's allowance and (f) other out-of-work benefits are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Recipients of out-of-work benefits in Stafford parliamentary constituency: 2003-12 
			 November each year: Jobseeker’s allowance Employment and support allowance Incapacity and severe disablement allowance Income support—lone parents Carer’s allowance Income support—others on income related benefits 
			 2003 970 — 3,140 680 480 1,240 
			 2004 850 — 3,050 620 490 1,180 
			 2005 980 — 3,030 630 500 1,190 
			 2006 1,180 — 3,010 630 520 1,210 
			 2007 710 — 3,030 600 540 1,230 
			 2008 1,190 70 2,920 630 590 1,290 
			 2009 1,710 610 2,470 620 650 1,150 
			 2010 1,440 850 2,250 600 680 1,080 
			 2011 1,440 1,160 1,920 580 720 960 
		
	
	
		
			 2012 1,470 1,690 1,220 520 740 660 
			 Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. The out of work benefits which are included in this analysis are: Jobseeker's allowance Employment and support allowance Incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance Carer's allowance Income support—lone parents Income support—others The figures in the table will include overlaps as claimants can be entitled to more than one of the above benefits. 3. Incapacity benefit was replaced by employment support allowance (ESA) for new claims from October 2008. 4. Parliamentary constituency of claimant (Westminster) These constituencies are used for the Westminster parliament. For the May 2005 general election, the constituencies in Scotland changed and are included in the tables from May 2005 onwards. For the May 2010 general election, constituencies in England and Wales changed and are included in the tables from May 2010 onwards. 5. Data for 2013 are not yet available. 6. This information is published on the ONS website at: https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/Default.asp Source: DWP Information, Governance and Security Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study

State Retirement Pensions

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will commission research to establish the level of annuities purchased by people who have contracted out of additional elements of the state pension.

Steve Webb: People who contracted out of the additional state pension on a defined contribution basis (which was abolished in April 2012) would have purchased annuities from insurance companies and other annuity providers. The Government does not hold information on the level of annuities purchased by people who have contracted out of the additional elements of the state pension, and commissioning bespoke research on this would be at a disproportionate cost.

Tractors: Accidents

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many accidents have been caused by tractors in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Mark Hoban: Details of the number of work related injuries to workers and members of the public in Great Britain involving wheeled tractors reported to all enforcing authorities including the Health and Safety Executive, in all industries in each of the years from 2006-07 to 2010-11 are set out in the following table. The figures include fatal, major and “over three day” injuries.
	
		
			  2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 
			 Employee 54 67 74 68 54 
			 Self employed 7 4 6 10 15 
			 Member of the public 4 2 3 4 5 
			 Total workers and public 65 73 83 82 74

Training

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many officials in (a) his Department and (b) the non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible enrolled in publicly-funded training courses in each of the last five years; what the total cost has been of such courses; and what the monetary value was of the 10 highest training course fees in each such year.

Mark Hoban: At the moment, Department for Work and pensions IT systems only allow us to collate information at total spend level and by individual but not by individual training course . The total number of enrolments to attend publicly funded training courses in each of the last five years is detailed as follows:
	
		
			 Period DWP total enrolments 
			 2008-09 81,095 
			 2009-10 137,475 
			 2010-11 159,341 
			 2011-12 106,299 
			 2012-13 85,943 
		
	
	The total cost of departmental publicly funded training courses over the last five years is detailed as follows:
	
		
			 Period DWP total expenditure (£ million) 
			 2008-09 17.424 
			 2009-10 18.716 
			 2010-11 12.082 
			 2011-12 6.424 
			 2012-13 6.167 
		
	
	With regard to the 10 highest (training course) fees in each of the years, the information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	The non-departmental public bodies IT systems only allow the collation at total spend level. The total amount of money spent per year on training in the NDPB in each of the last five years is detailed as follows:
	
		
			 Period NDPB total expenditure 
			 2008-09 £4.144 million 
			 2009-10 £4.687 million 
			 2010-11 £3.680 million 
			 2011-12 £3.240 million 
			 2012-13 £231,000 
			 Note: In 2012-13 only ILF, NEST and the Ombudsman made returns in that year. 
		
	
	The NDBP IT systems do not allow us to collate information on the number of NDPB officials attending publicly funded training courses nor will the IT systems allow the collation of the 10 highest (training course) fees in each of the years. The information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Universal Credit

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many non-dependent adults in households in (a) Great Britain, (b) England, (c) Wales, (d) Scotland and (e) each parliamentary constituency in Great Britain will be affected by the introduction of Housing Cost Contribution in respect of payments of universal credit in respect of non-dependent adults living in those households; and what the average weekly loss thereby in each category will be;
	(2)  how many households in (a) Great Britain, (b) England, (c) Wales, (d) Scotland and (e) each parliamentary constituency in Great Britain will be affected by the introduction of housing cost contribution in respect of payments of universal credit in respect of non-dependent adults living in those households; and what the average weekly loss thereby in each category will be.

Steve Webb: The Government believes that it is reasonable that someone living in a claimant's home should be asked to contribute towards the rent. For example, universal credit will ensure that a single person, who is not a homeowner and is aged between 21 and 25, will receive at least £246.81 per month—out of which we are expecting them to contribute only £68 per month. This contribution will be expected only where the person is either in work or there is an expectation that they should be working. It will not be expected if the person is aged under 21, a carer, responsible for a young child, or in receipt of a specified disability benefit.
	It is not possible to isolate the impact of the housing cost contribution from the other constituent parts of universal credit.
	Transitional protection will ensure that there will be no cash losers where claimants move to universal credit, providing circumstances remain the same.

Universal Credit

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make an assessment of the introduction of housing cost contribution in respect of payments of universal credit in respect of non-dependent adults living in those households, on each decile of the population in each nation and region of Great Britain; and what the average weekly loss thereby in each decile will be.

Steve Webb: The Government believes that it is reasonable that someone living in a claimant's home should be asked to contribute towards the rent. For example, universal credit will ensure that a single person, who is not a homeowner and is aged between 21 and 25, will receive at least £246.81 per month—out of which we are expecting them to contribute only £68 per month. This contribution will be expected only where the person is either in work or there is an expectation that they should be working. It will not be expected if the person is aged under 21, a carer, responsible for a young child, or in receipt of a specified disability benefit.
	It is not possible to isolate the impact of the housing cost contribution from the other constituent parts of universal credit.
	Transitional protection will ensure that there will be no cash losers where claimants move to universal credit, providing circumstances remain the same.

Universal Credit

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many non-dependent adults aged (a) 21-24 and in receipt of jobseeker's allowance and (b) 21-24 who are being assessed for their capability to work in households in (i) Great Britain, (ii) England, (iii) Wales, (iv) Scotland and (v) each parliamentary constituency in Great Britain will be affected by the introduction of housing cost contribution in respect of payments of universal credit in respect of non-dependent adults living in those households; and what the average weekly loss thereby in each category will be.

Steve Webb: The Government believes that it is reasonable that someone living in a claimant's home should be asked to contribute towards the rent. For example, universal credit will ensure that a single person, who is not a homeowner and is aged between 21 and 25, will receive at least £246.81 per month—out of which we are expecting them to contribute only £68 per month. This contribution will be expected only where the person is either in work or there is an expectation that they should be working. It will not be expected if the person is aged under 21, a carer, responsible for a young child, or in receipt of a specified disability benefit.
	It is not possible to isolate the impact of the housing cost contribution from the other constituent parts of universal credit.
	Transitional protection will ensure that there will be no cash losers where claimants move to universal credit, providing circumstances remain the same.

Universal Credit

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make an assessment of the effect on levels of youth homelessness in (a) Great Britain, (b) England, (c) Wales and (d) Scotland arising from the introduction of the housing cost contribution from payments of universal credit in respect of non-dependent adults living in those households who will receive universal credit.

Steve Webb: The Government believes that it is reasonable that someone living in a claimant's home should be asked to contribute towards the rent. However, individuals aged under 21 will not be expected to make a Housing Cost Contribution, and so we do not anticipate this change to have a detrimental effect of homelessness for this group.

Universal Credit

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assistance his Department plans to provide to people making a claim for universal credit who are prevented from using a computer as a consequence of their health condition.

Mark Hoban: The universal credit online system has been built to Web Content Accessibility guidelines including assistive technologies in order for claimants to be able to use it.
	We will also offer alternative routes; via telephone where an agent will complete an online claim form on a claimants behalf or direct assistance in a local office, a local delivery partner or in, exceptional circumstances a home visit.

Vacancies

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects new statistics on the number of vacancies by constituency to be released.

Mark Hoban: National statistics on vacancies at UK-level continue to be reported each month via the ONS Vacancy Survey. A user consultation by DWP on the changes to the Jobcentre Plus vacancy series was conducted last year and has been published on the DWP statistics, web pages. Statistical information for some geographies below national level is already available via the Universal Jobmatch MI tool and some improvements, including the addition of breakdowns by parliamentary constituency, have been suggested. DWP is currently agreeing with Monster Worldwide Limited, the Universal Jobmatch supplier, a timetable for prioritising and implementing these improvements, subject to funding. Further details will be released as soon as they are available.

Work Capability Assessment

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of specialist training given to Atos health care professionals in relation to fluctuating conditions; and what plans he has to ensure that sufficient support is offered to the work-related activity group to ensure that people with fluctuating conditions in that group have suitable options.

Mark Hoban: All health care professionals (HCP) who carry out the WCA are trained to ask about and take account of fluctuation. Training on variable and fluctuating conditions is delivered throughout the learning path for the HCPs employed by Atos Healthcare during their initial course and continues throughout their training and professional development. In addition to discussing variability during the course, all HCPs are provided with learning materials at the initial stages to cover a range of variable conditions. During the consolidation phase of new entrant training fluctuating conditions are further discussed.
	In addition to this initial training material, HCPs have a range of learning resources available including distance learning packs and continuing medical education products to aid understanding of fluctuating conditions. There is also a specific learning pack available on variability which addresses multiple issues with assessing fluctuating conditions.
	In relation to the support offered to those in the work-related activity group; support is available through either Jobcentre Plus or the Work programme. A claimant's medical circumstances are taken into account when considering requiring them to undertake a specific activity. Claimants are encouraged to discuss the impact of their condition on their support needs, while advisers/providers will be well-placed to understand and reflect the needs of claimants to help them successfully move towards employment.